Hopelessly Devoted
by SuNsHiNe10
Summary: A simple, innocent question from one naive girl mounts to something so blissfully unexpected, it seems sureal. Robin and Starfire soon find themselves caught in a whirlwind of new, frighteningly exciting emotions, with only eachother as an escape.
1. One question

~*~Hiya, everybody! Here it is, my very first Teen Titans story, I couldn't resist!! I was confused on whether to put it in misc cartoons or comics, so I checked out the comic section, and sure enough, there were a few cartoon stories there. So, there ya go. Hehe, originally, I wanted to put my other TT fic out first, but I got a new computer (dude, I got a dell!!!) and I had to save all my documents (i.e. my gajillion stories!) onto a disk so my dad could transfer them to a cd and I could write again. My other one is much more angsty, this is sappier than the pines of Canada! (I've never actually been to Canada, so I don't know the status of their people or their trees.) Kay, so there's my explaining. Oh, yeah, STARFIRE AND ROBIN!!!!! WHOOO! WHOOO!!! Well, now that that's out in the open I'm pretty sure you know what the story is about ^-~ And seriously, if you think otherwise, I simply say this..WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?! Sorry, I didn't mean to say that, all people are entitled to their own opinions...go to teentitans.com and click on Starfire's scrapbook. There's a picture there that speaks for itself ^-^ Hehe, ok back to business..This is part I of a series I wanted to write, I've seen them floating about and I was too tempted to pass it up. Most likely, it will just be 2 stories, but they will both be fairly long, I have plans...*rubs hands together and laughs maliciously as lightning strikes in the background* Uh.sorry..ok here we go!~*~  
  
Starfire nervously shifted in her seat at the kitchen table, contemplating her planned events for the day. She set her elbow on the table and rested her head in her open palm. Outside, it poured, a deluge of tiny droplets refusing to cease pummeling the unsuspecting Earth and its inhabitants. With her remaining hand she grasped a fork, picking at the remains of her salad with it, unamused. She glanced over at the immense window to her right, and sighed as she saw the tiny streaks of water spill carelessly down it. She sighed and began to slowly push the tiny, edible plants about on her plate. She failed to notice she was unconsciously spelling something...R-O-B...she was halfway through the 'I' when she realized what she was doing, and in a wild panic sprung from the seat and flung the plate halfway across the room. It came in contact with the wall and shattered into a thousand pieces. "Hey Star! I heard a crash, you ok?" Cyborg called from the living room. Starfire fixed her hair, which had scattered about in her mild pandemonium, and replied. "Yes, I am fine! Thank you for being concerned of my well being!"  
  
She floated to the other side of the kitchen, knelt, and gingerly began cleaning up the shards. As she tidied up her mess, she grinned slightly, thinking of what she was doing. "Robin..." she whispered, nearly inaudibly. The name sent a sharp, cold pang to the back of her neck while simultaneously causing her cheeks to flush with a deep heat. She was concerned about this in the beginning, but after some research, she realized it was a normal occurrence. Starfire was confused on what to call her new, exciting emotion-she knew she liked him more than a friend, but also knew not to go as far to call it 'love,' knowing she was not there yet. ("But dangerously close." she gleefully said to herself.) She settled on calling it a deep, deep admiration. Starfire nodded. That was the perfect title. She picked up the last of the discarded glass and dropped it in the trash.  
  
"Well, that has kept me busy for a few minutes. Let me see if the other Titans would like to do something, or else we might have many more broken dishes." She smiled and walked into the living room. Beast Boy sat cross- legged on the couch, clutching a red controller that was hooked onto a game console. His eyes had glazed over, giving the appearance he had died in that position, but it was apparent he had not, as his fingers were rapidly pressing several random buttons. His tongue peeked out from between his tight, now bloodless lips. Cyborg was sprawled out on the floor, cheering on the tiny, crudely animated man on the screen as he leapt over obstacles and dodged enemies, whilst firing blasts of his own. "Hello, Beast Boy. I see you are currently preoccupied, but I was wondering if perhaps you would like to-how do you say it?-hang out with me?" she asked innocently. Beast Boy's eyes, still glued to the screen, did not respond to her presence, but he grunted in reply. "Sorry, Star, I'm on the 82nd level, only 12 more levels and I'm halfway done! I'll be sure to beat Robin's" she blushed at the name and eyed the ground sheepishly, "high score in a good 5 days!!" he exclaimed. "He hasn't blinked in 3 hours!" Cyborg cried, amazed. Suddenly, he heard a faint 'beep' coming from his arm, and checked where it had come from. He saw a tiny gauge was nearly empty and he, knowing what this meant, rose, stretched, and headed for the corridor.  
  
"Gotta run, guys, I'm low on power and I've gotta re-charge." He casually waved and made his way to his room, but Starfire hurriedly zipped next to him. "Would you like me to keep you company while you re-charge, Cyborg?" she inquired. "Nah, that's alright, Star. I usually shut down completely when I re-charge; it saves battery and I last longer!" he said with a shake of his head. "Then, perhaps I can wait for you to complete your task!" she cried. Cyborg, again, shook his head. At this point he had reached his quarters, and turned to her with one hand on the door. "Thanks for the offer, but my charging can last a few hours. I could be out the rest of the night. Hey, I'll see ya around." Before Starfire could interject, he disappeared inside, and she could hear a slight electric fizz as he plugged in. She sighed, and continued in her quest for a companion.  
  
She reached Raven's bedroom door quite shortly after her brief conversation with Cyborg and raised her hand to knock on the metal covering. Her hand jarred for a moment. Part of her was thinking, "There really is no point to this. It is not likely Raven will want to do anything other than hate the world." But other part of her, the ever-optimistic much larger side, said the complete opposite. "Aw, give Raven some credit! She is your friend and deserves a chance to show herself!" Starfire, with a newfound confidence, inhaled and knocked on the door. She heard the sounds of stirring inside and the weak approached of footsteps. Raven creaked open her door and peeped her face out slightly, un-shrouded from her usual cape. "What?" she asked emotionlessly. Starfire beamed, ever the optimist, and sweetly began. "Hello, Raven! How are you doing today? I was wondering if per-" "No." Raven cut her off quickly and closed her door, locking herself inside the dark, dreary place it was. Starfire sighed. "Well, I walked into that one." She muttered.  
  
There was one last Titan left in the Tower, and the thought of HIM and HER alone gave her shivers. She felt an incredible sense of joy with the thought of it, and anxiously rushed to locate him. After a few minutes of searched, she was just about ready to lose hope and smash another plate out of sheer boredom when she heard stirring in the gym. Cautiously, she tip- toed to the entrance, and poked her head into the doorway. Sure enough, there he was, pounding a large punching bag with all his might. As Starfire watched Robin train, throwing punches and kicks at all possible directions, she couldn't help but feel..well, feel something. It was a kind of flutter in her heart, a meld between pride, awe, and impressed. She felt weak in the knees, and felt her breath catch in the throat, much like when a die-hard fan gazing upon their beloved lead guitarist at a concert, fingers gracefully sliding up and down the slender neck with ease. (A/N: TYSON!!!!!! *swoons, then faints. Recovers, rises, and brushes self off.* Sorry, that reminded me of one of my fiancés, Tyson Ritter, lead vocals and bassist of one of my favorite bands, the All American Rejects. Perhaps you have heard of their deliriously catchy hit "Swing, Swing?" Anyway, they rock, and Tyson is one of the most gorgeous guys I have EVER seen, with the most beautiful, perfect blue eyes in the whole world. *sighs* Hope you can check them out, but remember TYSON IS MINE!!!! I CALLED HIM!!! Sorry..well that was a pointless rambling.erm.yeah.Tyson..) Robin grunted and sent another hard blow to the stuffed bag, sending it flying backwards on its chain. Beaming at his victory, he placed his hands at his hips triumphantly, neglecting to notice the bag soaring back at him with an even higher speed. It crashed into his gut with an "Ooof!" and he careened backwards, nailing the wall and landing hard onto a pile of weights.  
  
After a few moments of groans, Robin popped up, infuriated. "DAMN YOU, PUNCHING BAG! You may have defeated me yet again, but I WILL conquer you, MARK MY WORD!" he shouted, pointed an accusing finger at the lifeless object. From the corner, he heard a meek giggle, and he turned to find the source. He knew his face morphed to a color as red as his shirt when he saw Starfire leaking titters from between the fingers that clasped over her lips. "Uh..h-hey Star. Um...ho-how long were you st-st-standing there?" he asked. Starfire noticed Robin's unusual stutter, something that rarely appeared but did tend to surface now and then. It was always linked to his blushing, they seemed to go hand in hand, but she couldn't figure out why. "Long enough to observe your riveting conversation with the punching bag." she replied with a grin. Robin couldn't help but smile too, Starfire always had that affect on him. She sauntered casually to the punching bag and wrapped her arms around it, leaning on it slightly. "God, I wish I were that bag right now..." Robin abruptly thought, but shook off his oncoming wave of emotion immediately. "What were you doing in here, Robin?" she asked, stating the obvious. "Eh, I was just training, but the stupid bag manages to smack me every time! I swear, I think they're plotting revenge on us and FIGHTING BACK. Y'know, we could document this on TV and make it a sleazy reality show on Fox! We'll make BILLIONS!" He feigned an evil look and began drumming his fingers together, then pretended to twist his long, invisible mustache, as all evil villains eventually do. His stutter vanished as quickly as it appeared, Starfire noted. She laughed at his antics, nearly snorting, and griped the bag tighter incase she would stumble in her fit of laughter.  
  
"So, what brings you to this side of the Tower, Star?" he questioned. She grinned wildly and began to sway with the bag. "Well, I was wondering, if..perhaps..you and I could hang out, like normal teenagers. I would be delighted to see some of your Earth customs." Robin seemed to lose all his color and scream blood red all at once. "Y-Y-You mean you and m-me? T- Together? Alone? J-J-Just hanging out?" And it was back. Honestly, Starfire hadn't the faintest idea what triggered Robin's speech impediment. She looked to him with pleading, jade eyes. Jade, immaculate eyes that beckoned Robin, they were so inviting, so enticing, he couldn't stop himself from saying, "Ok." Starfire squealed in joy and bounced up and down slightly, and Robin chuckled at her as she acted like a kid who just found out Baskin Robins has 32 flavors. "What do you want to do?" he asked, perfectly. No stutter. Starfire was baffled by this, but decided to contemplate it later. "It is up to you, though I recommend not entering the living room, Beast Boy is attempting to defeat your high score, he has not blinked in more that 3 hours." Robin laughed and nodded. "Yeah, like he'll even get CLOSE to my score. Alrighty, then, let's see...what to do? We could watch a movie; I've got a TV in my room." Starfire agreed, and they set off to Robin's den, or nest, if you wanted to make a pun.  
  
Starfire was impressed. She had never entered anyone's room other then her own. Sure, she had the occasional peek inside Beast Boy's once or twice, but never actually went inside. Robin's uniform seemed to be the theme; the walls were painted a deep crimson with a thick black stripe running horizontally through the middle. Yellow curtains were draped over the window, and a bright green rug settled on the floor. There were a few assorted posters lining the walls, mostly of random 'bands', as Robin called them. A few clothes were lying limply about, on furniture or the floor. It seemed Robin never cleaned up after he changed and made no use of his large walk-in closet, which, unsurprisingly, was nearly empty. She noticed another door, this once a bright yellow, which lead to a simple bathroom, completely white, a lone red tower on the brink of slipped from its countertop to the floor. The shower door was ajar, perhaps from the morning, and a small pool of water rested at the foot of the sink. He had a fairly big bed, with a red comforter and a few yellow pillows, ebony sheets popping out from beneath. It was pushed into a corner, offering only one available exit. Robin's room was much larger then she had anticipated.  
  
Robin knelt to view his video collection and slid his finger along the titles, deciding which to watch. "Um, do you like action?" he asked. "Hee hee, I get enough action everyday from the team!" she snickered. Robin joined her with a slight chortle. "Good point-hmm..well I'm not watching that sappy kissy-kissy goo goo crap, that stuff makes me wanna hurl. I don't even know why this is in here!" He pulled a copy of "Titanic" with only his index finger and thumb, and tossed it aside, disgusted. "Do you like comedy? I've got this great movie called "The Naked Gun." Absolutely hilarious. I've seen it 74 times and it STILL cracks me up." Starfire nodded. "But how can a gun be naked? It does not wear clothes to begin with!" she exclaimed, confused. Robin laughed to himself and popped the movie in the VCR. He flopped down on his bed to view the screen, and Starfire did the same. They sat next to each other, mostly in silence, other than the frequent burst of laughter from Leslie Neilson's moronic character.  
  
"It's a classic story; boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, and girl dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Years." His date looked sympathetic across from him. "'Good Year?'" she asked. "No, the worst." he responded.  
  
Robin howled with laughter once again as the oblivious Frank Drebin made a fool out of himself on the screen. Suddenly, he noticed they was no adorably infectious giggle beside him, the one that made him smile no matter what the mood. He turned away from the screen and looked down, and what he saw turned him crimson. Starfire's head lolled on his chest, her ginger hair slipping down her brow and into her closed eyes. At one point in the night, Robin perched himself atop his pillows, backing himself into the corner. Somehow Starfire had managed to fall asleep quite comfortably resting on him, scrunched a bit between his legs. He wasn't sure when this happened, it must have been when he was absorbed in the movie. "It can't be that late." he muttered to himself. He glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table. 3:44 AM. Ok, maybe it was. Robin turned back to Starfire, feeling his blood race to his cheeks. She looked so peaceful, so happy. She even smiled when she slept. Robin, a torrent of emotions, didn't know how to react, but DID know he never wanted this to end.  
  
He brushed a lock of her soft, silk-like hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She began to shift in place, and Robin's hair stood on end. Starfire sighed deeply, and ever so softly, murmured something. "Robin..." His eyes widened in shock, and a spasm in his arm caused his hand to jerk backwards. She inhaled deeply and nuzzled herself deeper into his chest. "Mmmm....you smell like..sweet red plums and..grilled cheese sandwiches." she mused in her half-sleeping state. Robin smirked, that was a new one. Odd, but new. He then felt her slender arms snake their way around his waist and lock together, a new blush sneaking up on him. She pulled herself in closer; her unconscious state seemed to be reenacting her secret desires. What was he to do? He smiled, his heart racing. He smoothed down her perfect mane, letting his fingers caress every strand. Then, inspired, he removed his cape and draped it over her for warmth. Robin wrapped his arms around Starfire's tight, toned waist, leaned his head against the wall and let his eyes slowly close to sleep, with a wonderfully, deliriously jocund, love-struck smile playing with his lips.  
  
~*~Well, there ya go! Fun, huh? Don't think this is the end, ohhhh no. Expect wild antics, insane jokes, conflicting emotions, flirty confusion, "moments," and Cyborg's horrible timing. Hope you like it so far! ^________^ BTW, I have nothing against "Titanic" or any sappy kissy-kissy goo goo crap, I mean, seriously, that's all I write! And yes, I did get the "You smell like sweet red plums and grilled cheese sandwiches," line from "The Wedding Planner" proof that I really like sappy kissy-kissy goo go crap. ^__^ and "The Naked Gun" is possibly one of the funniest movies in existence. A classic. Go rent it now...NOW!!! Hehe, it will give you something to do while you wait for my update ^-~ Also, I need help; I have no idea how to make things italicized, bold, or underlined. HELP!! Anyway, hope you review!! I would love if you did!!! Thank you! Bye!~*~ 


	2. A ploy, a plan, and cereal prizes

~*~ Aww, thank you for the reviews, guys! You make me feel right at home! *smiles* Brat Monkee, all I have to say is.YAY!! I'm so excited! I have a few ideas of my own, hee hee this will be fun ^____^ Hope I can talk to you soon! Oh, and to everybody reading this, I saw something cool on TV today! My little brother won the war over the remote this morning, so we were watching "Static Shock" on Kids WB. I had some time to kill anyway, so I watched it with him. It was the episode when Virgil goes to Gothem City and, well, here's the dialogue. Static: So, where's Robin? Batman: With the Titans. Static: The Titans? Who are they? Batman: You'll meet them someday. I thought that was hysterical and started laughing uncontrollably, much to my lil' bro's confused dismay. Oh, and I also finally saw the first episode of Teen Titans! It was cool! Starfire was concerned about Robin ^-^ awwww, and there was a lot of Raven/Beast Boy ^-^ (by the way, be on the look out for little hints of them in the story, then prepare for my sequel.hehehe) Well, here's the 2nd chapter! I'll try not to have any random outbursts about any of my future husbands, they may not know I exist yet, but OH they will!!!! Hehe, ok, on with the show!!!~*~  
  
The morning sun slipped its note through the transparent glass of Robin's bedroom window. It bounced off his enormous hanging mirror and spilled all over the floor in a puddle of light. Another message ricocheted off the mirror and laid a soft covering over the slumbering teens. Starfire felt its warm, smooth fingers tickle her skin, and she smiled at the touch. Her eyes, still sealed with those last precious grains of sleep, refused to open to greet the day, and she turned away from the sunshine into something..else. A different substance that she had not expected. She ran her fingers over it, her eyes still closed, thinking of all possibilities of what it truly was. It felt hard, with toned areas only battle could have brought. Perplexingly, at the same time, it was soft, with compassion and caring only a leader could possess. Starfire gave up her games and reluctantly let her eyes flicker open. She squinted at her surroundings and blinked. "This is not my room.." she thought silently. A sunny yellow, velvety covering was draped over her shoulders, stopping short at her ankles and leaving them bare and abandoned. She heard a tiny groan, and it startled her on how close it was. Starfire let her eyes gaze upward, hoping to find a solution to her perplexing problem. She first came in contact with a mess of black hair, shooting off every which way. She gasped, realizing the only possible person a mane like that could belong to.  
  
Starfire's eyes shot to her blanket, and her suspicions were confirmed. This was Robin's cape. This was Robin's room. This was... "Robin?" she whispered, her voice as sweet as ever. Robin was not disturbed by her query, and tightened his protective grip he gently held her in. It was at this point she noticed her own arms were locked behind his back in an embrace. Starfire unlatched them and pushed his cape aside to see for herself. Robin's arm had curled over her slender form, holding her with his gloved hand. Starfire would be lying if she said this was a bad position to be in, awkward, perhaps, but certainly not bad. Nevertheless, she shook his sleeping form and called to him again. "Robin? Wake up. Now is the time to not sleep!" she murmured. Robin snorted and yawned, glancing down at the girl in his arms. He smiled, his half-litted eyes concealed by the mystery of his mask. "Hiya, Star." he muttered, his voice scratchy from just awakening. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he stared at her in utter shock, his mouth agape. "STAR?!" he exclaimed. He, embarrassed, unhitched his arm from around her, releasing her, and scrambled into the corner of his bed. Fearing he may have been too loud, Starfire cupped her palm over his mouth to silence whatever he might say.  
  
"I suppose..we must have fallen asleep during your movie, Robin." she said, removing her hand from his face. Robin's eyebrows arched. "Well, it would APPEAR that way, now wouldn't it?" he sarcastically remarked. Starfire lowered her eyes. "I am sorry to have offended you, Robin, I was merely making a suggestion." she muttered meekly. Robin's face softened and it dawned on him he may have hurt the girl's feelings. He scooted next to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry. You-well, ya kinda caught me off guard." He said with a lopsided grin. She looked up and slightly smiled. "I should go.." she grumbled, and rose to leave the room, but before she left, she turned back to the boy hunched over on the bed. "Robin?" she asked. He looked up at her and smiled. "Yes?" She played with a strand of her hair and let a happy grin tease her lips. "I-I enjoyed hanging out with you." she said simply, and looked to him and beamed. He returned it and watched her slip out the door. Neither of them seemed to notice that Robin's cape had managed to catch itself on Starfire's shirt.  
  
Elsewhere, the Titans were preparing breakfast. Raven sat at the table, casually leafing through a book of spells and nibbling at a waffle. Cyborg was putting out his third stove fire with a nearby extinguisher while Beast Boy dug through a random box of cereal. "Damn." he muttered, then tossed it aside and grabbed another, shoving his entire fist inside. "Damn." he repeated, and discarded it. He took another, ripped apart the packaging, and screeched in victory when he seemed to locate something. "A-HA!" he cried, and pulled a tiny tugboat out from the box. He trotted over to Raven with a sly glint in his eye and leaned against the table, casting a shadow over her. "Looky here, Raven! I found a prize! And what have YOU accomplished lately? Hmm? I didn't think so." he laughed and pretended to sail the boat in the air. Raven didn't even glance up from her book. "Y'know, you should really save the box tops and mail them in." she uttered monotonously, as always. "And why is that?" Beast Boy inquired. Raven looked at him, sighed, and slammed her book shut. She bent over and heaved an enormous life-size accurate model of the U.S.S INTREPID navy air carrier onto the table. Surprisingly, the table didn't shatter into splinters beneath the incredible weight. "THAT'S why." Raven replied, a victorious smirk crossed her lips. Beast Boy's jaw dropped as he gazed up at the immense ship. He glanced at his tugboat, grinned stupidly, and shoved it in his pocket.  
  
"Morning, team!" Robin greeted upon entering the kitchen, but stopped short as he gazed up at the naval air carrier that he was certain was not in the room the day before. "Uh, guys? Why is the U.S.S INTREPID on our kitchen table?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, just proving a point." Raven said, and shoved it back under her seat, making it once again completely invisible. Robin shrugged and made his way to the counter, where Beast Boy was neatly cutting off the box tops he had previously torn and shooting scornful glances at Raven. He saw Robin pass him and cocked his head. "Say, Rob, you look different. Did you lose weight?" he asked. "Oh yeah, Beast Boy, cause everyone knows I could stand to lose a couple of pounds." he replied, indicating his skinny yet slightly muscular form. Cyborg glanced back at him and cocked his head as well. "Naw, he's right, something's different about you, man." He pondered for a second, before the answer dawned on his metal cranium. "Hey, where's your cape?"  
  
"Good morning to you all! I trust you had a delightful sleep and are prepared to greet the day with exuberance!" Starfire said brightly upon entering the room. She casually strolled to the counter and picked up an apple, polishing it on her shirt. She prepared to take a bite when she realized every set of eyes in the room rested on her. Her gaze shifted from one another, in a quandary. "Why is everyone looking at me? Am I about to eat wax fruit?" she questioned, and looked to Robin for an answer. She was shocked to see he was cantankerous, pale and wan, his mouth dangling limply open. Starfire scratched the back of her neck nervously, when she felt something velvety attached to her shirt. She squeaked a little, immediately knowing what it was. All eyes were wide and gaping at this unusual turn of events. Starfire feigned a hearty laugh and removed Robin's cape.  
  
She approached Robin and held it out to him, with a broad, phony smile. "Here, Robin. You had asked me to wash this for you yesterday, remember? You see, it is clean and fresh!" Her smile remained plastered to her face. Robin's color slowly began to return to his cheeks. She was LYING for him? "Now there's a girl to hold onto." he thought as he suppressed a smirk. He stuck out his hand and took the yellow cloth. "I hope you do not mind that I was wearing it. It was...um..it was quite chilly in the washroom from last night's storm, and I-I thought it would keep me warm." she stammered slightly, still not releasing her façade. Robin fastened the cape around his neck, completing his uniform. "Not at all, Star. I'm glad you could help me, I never did understand those fabric softeners!" he chucked, making sure everyone had bought their act. Raven shrugged and reopened her book while Beast Boy laughed at everyone's overreaction and resumed his snipping. Robin turned back to Starfire, and mouthed a "Thank you!!" to her. She beamed and nodded, as if to say "Happy to, that's what friends are for!" She took a large bite from her apple with a 'crunch' and ambled over to Beast Boy to make small talk.  
  
Cyborg's eyebrow still remained perched in a high arch. He abandoned his failed attempts at pancakes and snatched Robin by the arm, and Robin watched in horror as his freshly-made toast spiraled downward, landing butter-side down on the linoleum. "HEY!" he objected, but Cyborg continued to tow him to the other room. "We need to talk." he said simply, and finally released his arm when they were out of earshot. "What the hell was that?" he asked briskly. Robin shrugged. "I have no idea what you mean." he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Aw, don't pull that with me, man! Look, you may be able to pull the wall over Beast Boy's eyes, and Raven doesn't give a damn either way, but you can't fool me!" He held a finger up to Robin's face, but he just leaned back. "Seriously, what are you talking about?" he asked again innocently, pushing Cyborg's immense finger out of view. Cyborg rolled his eyes and groaned at his friend's stubbornness. "Alright, let's look at facts; one-Starfire wanted to hang out with someone, but everyone was busy. Two-Last I checked before I shut down, you were alone in the gym. Three-Both you AND Starfire woke up late. Four-You came to breakfast without your cape, and you never, EVER take off your cape! And five-STARFIRE WAS WEARING IT! What more proof do I need?!" he cried, a bit louder than he had intended. "Proof of what?" Robin asked with a smirk.  
  
Cyborg screamed and shot a sonic cannon ball at the ceiling in frustration. It left a huge gaping hole and a large piece of plaster fell to the ground and broke in two. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NO MORE DEATH-FIGHTING! WE HAD AN AGREEMENT!" Raven called from the kitchen, annoyance dripping off her voice. "WE'RE NOT DEATH-FIGHTING! LEAVE US ALONE!" Cyborg replied in a booming voice, and then resorted back to hush tones to speak with Robin. "Look, either you stop playing dumb or next time that shot is aimed at you, death-fighting agreement or not. Just tell me what you and Star did last night!" Robin scoffed and strolled to the couch, resting his arms lazily over the ends. "C'mon, man, I'm your best bud! Why won't you tell me?!" Cyborg whined. "Because you're a big-mouth who will blab whatever news you can get." he said, then his jaw dropped and he smacked himself in the forehead. "Great, real smooth. He'll never suspect a thing now." he thought sarcastically. Cyborg smirked and hopped over the sofa, crouching in front of Robin. "NOW we're getting somewhere! So c'mon, what happened?!" "Nothing!" Robin cried, crossing his arms over his chest and rising to return to the kitchen.  
  
Cyborg groaned, trying to think of a possible plan, when it struck him like a bolt of lightning. He grinned evilly as a sly look took over his features. "NOW I see what's going on." he said, the grin refusing to vanish. Robin froze in place and slowly whirled around to face the metal man. "You like her." he mused teasingly. Robin's eyes widened and his mouth opened as if to say something, but nothing came out. "N-N-No I don't!" he stammered finally. Though he did feel a tad guilty lying about his visible feelings for Starfire, the last thing he wanted was Cyborg taunting him about it 24/7. "You're stuttering." Cyborg said with a laugh. Robin swallowed in hopes of possibly digesting his giveaway. "No I'm not." he said, though it took all his strength to suppress to stammer that so desperately wanted to squeeze out. "Face it, Robin, you're in LUUUUUUUUUU-VVVVVV!" he said with a babyish tone. He made his eyes giant and seemingly moist and cupped his hands together over his heart, jutting out his lips and making kissing noises. Robin's cheeks flushed and he lowered his head, weakly responding with a typical "Am not!"  
  
Cyborg laughed loudly and relaxed against the couch, leaning over it with one hand supporting him. "Don't deny it man, you've gotta face facts; you're a sucker for a girl with blue eyes." Robin leapt up and pointed a finger a Cyborg menacingly, grinning gloriously. "HA! Her eyes are green!" he declared. Cyborg mimicked Robin's exact actions. "HA! You just proved my point!" Robin balled his hands into clenched fists. "DAMN IT! Will the mind games ever cease?!" he exclaimed at the ceiling. He sighed, defeated, and slouched onto the couch with his head in his hands. "So now you know." he muttered despondently. Cyborg joined his friend on the sofa. "Well, I kinda always had a notion." he admitted. Robin looked up, surprised. "Really? How?" he questioned. Cyborg rolled his eyes and brought his elbows to his waist but let his forearms flap out, making him look very much like a retarded duck. He kept his palms up and spoke in a high falsetto voice. "Oh, Starfire, I'll help you cook! Starfire, that's not how you do it, I'll show you! Let me explain something to you Starfire! Have some of my cotton candy, Starfire! Come on the ride with me Starfire! No one could ever take your place, Starfire!" he concluded, and reverted back to his normal position. Robin was steaming and glared at his friend with gritted teeth. "I do NOT sound like that." he declared, but much to his dismay, his voice cracked on his last word, giving him a high-pitched sound.  
  
"Damn puberty."  
  
Cyborg laughed again and patted Robin on the back. "So seriously, tell me what you guys did last night. Or, as I like to refer to it, doing the hibity-dibity!" he said with a sly smirk. Robin groaned and began to get up. "You know, I knew you'd act this way, just forget it." he said, and tried to walk away. Cyborg grabbed his arm and threw him back into the couch. "Aw, man you know I'm just kidding around man! Tell me! I won't mock you...much." Robin scoffed, and suddenly realized Cyborg wouldn't stop pestering him until he got his way. It was a lose-lose situation. He sighed, and reluctantly began his tale."  
  
"Well, as you said, Starfire wanted someone to hangout with her. After everyone else was busy, she found me in the gym, you know, training and stuff..."  
  
"The punching bag hit you again, didn't it?"  
  
"Just shut up and listen. Anyway, as I was saying, before I was so RUDELY interrupted, she asked me to hangout, so I suggested a movie..  
  
"Was it a loooooooove movie?"  
  
"No, it was "'The Naked Gun..'"  
  
"Y'know I heard that movie's one of the biggest aphrodisiacs know to man.."  
  
"Do you wanna hear the story or not?"  
  
"Sorry, sorry. Continue."  
  
"Ok, so we went to my room and I popped the tape in. We sat on my bed-say anything and I'll shut you down permanently, I swear-and started watching it. She seemed to like it a lot, she was laughing...she's cute when she laughs..."  
  
"EW! Stick to the story, ok Romeo?"  
  
"Heh, sorry. Anyway, we were about halfway through it when I noticed she wasn't laughing anymore. So I looked down and she had fallen asleep...uh..on me." He blushed slightly at the memory and continued. "She was between my legs-again, say anything and its nighty-night-with her head on my chest. At first, I didn't really know what to do, I was kinda confused, I mean I didn't want to move her..cause she looked so peaceful and I-um-didn't want to wake her up."  
  
"Please. I can think of 10 reasons right now why you wouldn't want to move her."  
  
"So I let her lay there and I kinda started playing with her hair..."  
  
"Ooh, getting fris-kay!"  
  
"..when she started stirring. I panicked and nearly fell out of the bed. She wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled herself in closer." he unconsciously started smiling, and quickly forgot Cyborg was even there. He was reliving the moment, not caring who heard him. "She seemed to gently nudge herself deeper in my chest. God, she smelled so good, like flowers, thousands of them. I heard her murmur something faintly. She said...I smell like sweet red plums and grilled..cheese..sandwiches. Then she sighed and fell back asleep. It felt so good to hold her in my arms, I took off my cape and covered her with it like a blanket. Then I put my arms around her and pulled her in and I guess I must have dozed off. She woke me up the next morning, and I, well, I flipped out, forgetting why she was there in the first place. But before I did, for one solitary second, I didn't care; I only cared about her and how unbelievably wonderful it felt to wake up with her, having her be the first face I see in the morning. So, she smiled at me and left, and I guess my cape caught on her somehow. And that's it."  
  
Cyborg looked at Robin in awe, and his face seemed to be basking in a warm glow. They were silent for a moment, before Cyborg bit his lower lip to contain cracking up. "Must....resist....urge...to.....make fun of!" he joked, and soon howled with laughter as Robin glared at him, his glow gone. "You're so immature." he muttered, and got up to finally eat his breakfast. Cyborg groaned and turned around, resting his elbows on the back of the chair. "Man, chill! I'm sorry!" Robin turned around to face him yet again. "Does she know?" he asked. "Robin cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. "Know what?" Cyborg smacked himself in the face and mumbled something under his breath. "Does she know you're positively, loop-de-loop, head over heals, out of the park, wants-to-travel-Europe-together, make-and-name-a- perfume-after-her, madly in LOVE?!" he cried, exasperated. "NO! Of course she doesn't! Like I'd actually be able to tell her." Robin grumbled, mentally kicking himself for being such a coward when it came to matters of the heart. "THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Cyborg exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.  
  
"YOU FORCED ME TO COME HERE, YOU DUMB-ASS!" Robin spat back. Cyborg took a deep breath and continued. "Look, all I'm saying is you should just spend more time with the girl. Get to know her a little better. Make her comfortable around you. That way, when you finally are ready to confess, you won't be such a wimp." Robin looked up at him. "You really think that would work?" he asked, ignoring the back-handed insult. Cyborg shrugged. "How should I know? In case you haven't noticed, I'm still flying solo when it comes to the ladies. I'm just giving you my honest opinion. I think it could work." he said with a lopsided grin. Robin returned it and prepared to enter the kitchen, but he stalled and looked back at his friend over his shoulder. "Uh, Cy? This kinda goes without saying but, you're not going to..." "Say anything about how you've fallen for Starfire like a ton of bricks? Nah, I wouldn't do that to ya bud. But just incase, you better not piss me off anytime soon." he said with a smirk. Robin laughed and continued to the counter, where he hopped into Beast Boy's and Starfire's conversation.  
  
Cyborg strolled in a few seconds later, snickering slightly, and walked up to the oven to attempt another batch of pancakes. As the previous 8 did, they charred, but at least this time he didn't set them on fire. He glanced over at the threesome over at the counter and sniggered to himself. Starfire had managed to waste no time in flirting with Robin. She giggled every 3 seconds, played with her hair, and constantly smiled, and Robin loved it. He lapped up every ounce of attention she gave him. Cyborg decided to rattle things up, merely because he loved to taunt people at every opportunity. "You know what? I feel like some grilled cheese." he said, repressing his urge to laugh. Robin whipped his head around and glowered at him, the eyes of his mask narrow. Raven looked up at the metal man from across the room with a half confused, half "what-in-the-name-of- all-that-is-holy-are-you-talking-about" look. "Its 10:35. Why would you possibly want grilled cheese at this hour?" she asked coldly. Cyborg shrugged and chuckled, enjoying knowing something everyone else didn't.  
  
Starfire glanced over at him as he dug through the refrigerator. Something about the way he said that sounded vaguely familiar. She assumed it had something to do with what she and Robin had done last night; Cyborg would not have dragged him out of the room unless he suspected something. She remembered watching the movie, Robin sitting up in the corner and saying she could stretch out on the bed if she needed more room, and scooting in slightly closer to him. Then it all went black. The next recollection she has is waking up...in his arms. She smiled to herself at that and preoccupied herself with the core of her apple. Cyborg popped up, grinning again.  
  
"Hmm, can't make grilled cheese without cheese, and it seems like we're PLUM out!" he finally laughed and held his sides in his fit, proud of his pun. Beast Boy scrunched up his brow in mystification. "Uh, did I miss something?" he asked. Starfire pondered; she knew that sounded familiar as well, but where did she hear it from? Suddenly it dawned on her. Her mind flashed back to last night where she saw herself cuddling next to a surprised Robin. "Mmmm..you smell like...sweet red plums and...grilled cheese sandwiches." she watched herself say. Her mind shifted back to the present tense and she slowly brought a hand to her mouth in realization. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, and she quickly rose and bustled out of the room, muttering an "I must go." with her head bowed. Cyborg was rolling on the ground in his own cackling, he guffawed and snorted so much it was a shock he could even breathe. Robin scowled angrily at the boy and bounced out of his chair. "Don't you have pancakes to burn?" he shot at the metal man, and took off after Starfire. Cyborg rose abruptly, grumbled something and set off in another direction, leaving Raven and Beast Boy to exchange bewildered looks.  
  
Starfire had bolted immediately from the kitchen and sped down a corridor where she, when she was sure she would not be caught, slumped against a wall and slid down it. How EMBARASSING. Robin probably thought she was some love-sick little girl and would want to be as far away from her as humanly possibly. She brought in her knees and moaned, letting her head drop on them. "Hey." she heard someone say. She lifted her head and saw him standing there, but..why? Didn't he hate her? Didn't she push her feelings too far? He sat dangerously close to her, their hips barely brushing together. "Robin, I am so-" he cut her off before she could finish. "Star, I was thinking, we had a really great time last night, wanna do it again? I mean, if you want to." he said with a tiny smile crossing his face. She looked up at his face, and beamed. He didn't hate her! He still wanted to hang out! She nodded vigorously and replied, "Yes!" Thinking she may have sounded too anxious, she cleared her throat and spoke in a calmer tone. "I-I mean, yes, that sounds enjoyable, I would love to." Her smile was intoxicating, it infected Robin and he beamed back. "Cool, I-I guess I'll see you later then, I've still got to eat breakfast." With that, he rose and continued back to the kitchen, stealing one final glance of her over his shoulder. Starfire watched him go, and felt her heart skip a beat when she did. She hugged her knees tightly, buried her head in them, and squealed in pure delight.  
  
~*~YAY! That was the second chapter! And no outbursts of irrelevant information! YAY! Once again, thank you all so much for your reviews, I hope you like this too and review it! hehe, until next time, Buh-Bye!~*~ 


	3. A stroke away from death

~*~ You guys are SO NICE! YAY! If I had the money I'd give you all a dollar, but alas, I have a mere 52 cents to my name..hehe jk. But really, thank you so much for the reviews, you have no idea how wonderful they make me feel. Good news! You get this chapter early! YAY! I just got back from 5 hours of volleyball (yes, 5 hours) and I'm so much pain right now, I just want to relax and write, so lucky you! Oh well, hope you like this! ~*~  
  
Later that night, Starfire awaited the arrival of Robin in the lounge with the other Titans. Beast Boy and Cyborg were, yet again, locked in a battle on their game console. Raven skulked about in a destitute corner of the room, secretly watching the activities going on. Cyborg yelped in happiness when his racecar pulled in the lead, leaving Beast Boy to sulk and groan. Without realizing it, Raven raised a finger and watched it slowly glow a grey-black. Suddenly, Cyborg's car reered off to the side of the track and skidded into the wall, igniting on fire. A faint, electronic 'Taps' played in the background and the ghost of the driver floated out of the wreckage. "Aw man, I just DIED! And that isn't even programmed into the game!" Cyborg whined as Beast Boy crossed the finish line. He dropped the control and tossed his arms in the air, flailing them wildly. "I AM THE GREATEST MAN ALIVE!!!!!!" he declared, and hopped up to shimmy to celebrate his victory. Raven slightly smiled to herself and blew over the tip of her finger, much like a person would blow over a pistol that was just fired. Her eyes suddenly widened as she stared in shock at her work, and her lips parted a little, stunned. "What did I do THAT for?"  
  
Robin appeared from another corridor, saw Starfire resting on the couch, and smoothed over his black locks. He stopped abruptly and shook his head scornfully at himself. "That was the dorkiest thing ever." he thought, and continued into the room. Starfire watched as he strolled up to her, seemingly careless, and she rose to greet him. They both smiled. "Hi." she breathed. "Hi." he replied. There was a long silence as they stood there, merely looking at each other and beaming, before Beast Boy cleared his throat loudly, snapping them out of their trance. They both blushed and fidgeted around in place. "So..uh...you wanna go?" Robin asked ineptly. Starfire nodded, and the 2 trotted off into the darkness. Cyborg hit the reset button and a new game begun between the robot and the shape shifter.  
  
"So, Cy, what did you talk about with Robin today? And since when do we have a skylight?" he asked, quickly glancing up at the enormous hole in the ceiling. "Oh yeah, sorry about that." Cyborg apologized, his eyes never lifted from the screen. Raven looked up and growled. "That's coming out of your paycheck." she said, pulling down her hood and shaking out her short, violet hair. "What are you talking about? We don't get paid!" Cyborg exclaimed. Raven gritted her teeth and could feel her patience running thin. "Then we're going to city counsel and we're demanding we get paid for our efforts and THEN it's coming out of your paycheck!" she nearly shouted her last choice words. "We don't get paid? Then how the heck do we pay for ALL THIS STUFF?!" Beast Boy raised his arms to indicate all the expensive items that the Titans used everyday. The second his hand left the control, he spun furiously before skidding to a stop and watched as Cyborg passed the finish line first with ease. "So, you didn't tell us, what were you and Robin talking about this morning?" Beast Boy inquired before Cyborg could open his mouth. He didn't care if they had been discussing freeze- dried beets, anything to stop him from gloating was a Godsend. "Oh yeah, Robin and Starfire spent the night together, he's madly in love with her." Cyborg said simply as he rose to turn off the system. "Pff, no surprise there." Beast Boy replied, reclining into the couch. Raven looked over at them with a raised eyebrow. "Should you really be shooting your mouth off like that? Aren't you supposed to be Robin's FRIEND?" she asked callously. Cyborg shrugged. "What? It's not like this is new! They've liked each other since, well, since the Titans were formed! You know it, I know it, the American people know it! Well, except for them, ever notice that when you like somebody, the only person who doesn't notice you have feelings is that one person?" "You have no idea." Beast Boy muttered, stealing a glance of Raven from the corner of his eye.  
  
Meanwhile, Robin and Starfire wandered aimlessly on the rooftop high above the city. The sun was settling in for bed, casting its long rosy fingers out to the horizon, as if to grab something in the far off distance. The discussed a few random topics briefly before resting on the side of their pool, which, appropriately, was in the shape of a large T. The dying sun made the crystal water shimmer, luring whoever was too get close enough to behold it. Robin looked out longingly out at the water, and caught a glimpse of Starfire doing the same. "You wanna jump in?" he asked without thinking. Starfire shifted her gaze to him and tilted her head in curiosity. "But Robin, we do not have our bathing suits." she stated. But Robin had already removed his shoes, socks, gloves, cape, and utility belt and was bounced quite high on the diving board. Starfire, seeing what Robin had meant, did the same, taking off her shoes, socks, and arm protectors. Robin perfectly dove in and resurfaced after a few seconds, squirting a tiny stream of water out from his mouth. "C'mon, Star, the water's great!" he called to her, waving her in as he treaded. Starfire squatted on the side and gently dipped her fingers in the cool aqua, squinting, undecided. "I do not know, Robin, it seems too cold." she whimpered, but left her fingers to dangle in the water.  
  
Robin swam over to her at the side of the pool. "Aw, it's fine Star! Best it's been all year!" he persuaded, but she remained in her cogitated position. "I do not know.." It was then Robin noticed her hand floating limply in the water, and he swam in dangerously closer to her. Starfire observed this and looked up at him, slightly frightened, when she realized what he planned to do. "Robin, do not even think of it!" she warned, but he drew in closer, a devious look on his face. "Robin, do not do it!" she cried, nearly smiling. The normal thing to do at a time like this would be to remove your hand from the water, rise, and walk to the opposite end of the pool, and Starfire knew that. But a colossal chunk of her WANTED to go in that pool, to be in there with Robin, alone, together. This is the reason she stayed in her position. He did exactly as she had expected; he snatched her wrist and with a giant tug yanked her head-first into the pool.  
  
She rose, sputtering, a large section of her ruby hair plastered over her head onto her face. At first, Robin feared he had angered her and she would leave, making it near impossible to get near her for a little while. But, to his disbelief, she started laughing. She popped under the water for a moment and rose with her face upward, sending all her hair back neatly and out of her face. "You will pay for that." she grinned and splashed a tiny wave in Robin's direction. He smiled as well, relieved she thought it was funny too, and sprayed her back. It went on like that for a while, each exchanging laughs and water blasts. At one point, Starfire slipped unbeknownst to Robin beneath the surface and snuck around him to his legs, and, when she felt ready, ripped him downward under the water. She rose first, giggling, and he emerged a few second later, smiling as well. "NOT funny." he said. She covered her mouth with her hand, feeling her chuckles creep out too many at a time. "Then why are you smiling?" she asked. He did not reply, but dunked her under once again.  
  
A few minutes later, Robin and Starfire rested at the shallow end of the pool, both of their arms hung on the edge of the cement. Starfire scanned the water with her eyes, then turned back to Robin with a clever smirk. "Would you like to race, Robin?" she asked. Starfire knew Robin could NEVER turn down a challenge, no matter what it was. Robin glanced up at her and grinned, his confidence seeming to take over his body once again. "Okaaaaaaaay, but I've gotta warn ya, I'm pretty fast!" he said, positioning himself along the edge. Starfire did the same. "To the deep end, first one there wins!" she explained. Robin readied himself as Starfire counted down. "On your mark....get set.....GO!" They both shot off the wall with a burst of speed and rapidly paddled to the other side.  
  
Robin, thinking perhaps his freestyle stroke was a little rusty, dove under and swam along the bottom of the pool, thinking he would be able to go faster once he was down there. Starfire didn't notice, she continued pumping her arms and legs as quickly as possible. Robin skimmed the bottom of the pool swiftly, like an eel slithering along the ocean bottom. He knew he was making record time, and nimbly passed Starfire's swimming figure 10 feet above. He mentally chuckled, knowing he was going to win. Out of nowhere, he felt something drag him backwards. At first, he thought Starfire may have caught onto his plan and had dove under to slow him down. Then he realized, nothing was holding onto him. He whipped his body around to see an open vent, sucking him inside. The hole had to be no larger than a foot, but it was powerful, and pulled Robin back, until his entire foot was lodged inside. He screamed and writhed about viciously, twisting and contorting in all possible positions to save himself. Try as he may, he couldn't remove it, it was stuck deep inside. He gave up his struggle and screamed for help, only causing many large bubbles to spill from his mouth. "Blahrblifre!!!" he cried, but the emerald eyed beauty had long since passed over him and was too wrapped up in competition to notice his absence. He began to panic, ripping at his foot and digging his nails in his leg in a possible way to aid him, but with no prevail. He fought tremendously; he was born a fighter and would not leave the Earth without a fight. Robin knew it was hopeless, he couldn't hold his breath for much longer. He could feel the water slowly filling his lungs, screaming for air. He saw various stages of his life flash before his eyes, but in an instant, they were gone. Robin never envisioned dying this young, when he realized he hadn't lived nearly as much as he wanted to. He wanted air so badly, never before did he desperately need something, and had a sudden thought; with his dying breath, or lack there of, which is what was killing him, he craved the one thing he couldn't have. Only Robin would be able to find irony in death. He felt dizzy, and his aqua surroundings began to blur before his eyes. He was going, he could feel his spirit passing through his body, and as the world was tainted black over his eyes, he could only think of one, final thing;  
  
"I never told her."  
  
And then he lost all feeling.  
  
Starfire slapped the side of the pool and rose in victory, arms raised above the water. "I am the winner! But it is alright, Robin, perhaps you will win next time!" she cried, beaming. She heard no response and looked around. "Robin?" she asked. Starfire knew it was not likely of Robin to abandon a contest, and she noticed his things were still idle along the side of the pool. She felt a deep sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and frantically searched for Robin with her eyes. It was then she noticed the still, unmoving red blur lodged at the bottom of the pool. "ROBIN!" she shrieked, and dove back under to rescue him. In an instant, she was at his side, and gingerly managed to twist his ankle out of its prison. She swiftly took hold of him in her arms and soared to the surface, with a boost of speed from her flying abilities. She gently laid his motionless form on his back, and she knelt over him, beginning to hyperventilate. His lips were parted, his skin was starting to prune, and all of his shadowy black hair remained glued about his head. Starfire clutched her head in her hands, wringing out her hair in panic, and lifted one of Robin's arms with simply her index and thumb. She released it and it flopped down back to the cement, as if magnetic. She put her head to his chest, in hopes of feeling a faint breath. She felt nothing, and could sense a lament coming on, when she heard something. "Thump. Thump. Thump." His heart! He still had a heart beat!  
  
Starfire knew she didn't have much time and would have to save him immediately. She looked over the still boy, briefly remembering something Raven once told her about something called 'CPR.' She didn't know what it was or how to perform it, so that was never an option. Flustered, she began pumping his chest, waiting a second or 2, and then delivering another hard blow with both her hands. "Oh please, please, please do not die, Robin." she whispered between pushes. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and when her vision of him was distorted with the oncoming teardrops, she squeezed them shut, but felt their hot, wet presence slide down her cheeks. She was praying to any of the heavenly bodies that he would live, to let him breathe, to keep him alive. She choked back a sob. "Robin, please do not die. Please, I beg you, start breathing! Oh God, please Robin! You-you cannot leave me. I-I never got to tell you-I never got to say how much I..I.." It was then Robin started coughing furiously, wheezing for gasps of precious, glorious air in between. When he finally managed to stop, he spat out a long series of squirts of water, and laid back again, gazing up at Starfire's sparkling eyes. He felt woozy, sickly even, like he just swallowed a bag of cement. "Did I win?" he asked dazedly with a crooked smile.  
  
Starfire threw herself over his body, spreading her legs out of her kneeling position, and sobbed into his shoulder. Robin, still not entirely sure what was going on, rested his hand awkwardly on her, patting her back and consoling her, when he noticed she was dripping wet. Then it all flooded back to him. His eyes widened and he pushed her off him, still in shock. He gripped her forearms, holding her above him, but she was still very, very close to his face. "STARFIRE! I JUST....and....you....OH MY GOD!" A wave of dizziness swept over him and his tilted his head back against the cement, releasing her arms from his tight grip. She crouched in slightly closer to him and examines his facial feature, softly touching him as if he would break. "I was so scared...I thought you would...." The word she wanted to say was one of unnatural weight, and she was afraid to say it. "Die? Pff, that can't happen. Star, when are you gonna learn I'm indestructible?" he asked her with a lazy, joking smile. She looked into his shrouded eyes with fear laced into her emeralds. Tears were beginning to flow more fluidly, slipping hastily down her previously soaked cheeks. "That isn't funny, Robin! You weren't breathing!" She dropped onto his chest and coiled her arms around his neck, sobbing quietly into his chest. Robin felt a little guilty; he had a twisted sense of humor that had a tendency to pop out at the worst moments. He placed his arms around her back and gently stroked her hair, hushing her as he held her trembling form. "Hey, hey, shh, it's alright. See? I'm ok. There's no need to be upset." Starfire continued to cry, sniffling a little as she fingered Robin's hair. "I-I-I was s-s-so scared. If you had died, I...I don't know what I would do." she whispered, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Robin removed his hands from Starfire's form and lifted her face calmly, cupping it with his hands so she would face him. He delicately wiped away a single stray tear of hers with his thumb and smiled warmly at her. "But that's the thing, Star. I didn't, thanks to you. You saved my life, Starfire." Starfire hiccupped, but smiled back at him, comforted that he was alive and well. They remained in that position for quite some time, before they heard a loud cough behind them.  
  
They both turned to find Cyborg standing by the entrance, grinning maliciously. "So SORRY to interrupt!" he cried, and stifled a laugh as he watched both his friends redden. Starfire rolled off Robin and sat next to him, hugging her knees and concealing her mouth with them. It was them Cyborg noticed her eyes were a little puffy. "Star, you alright? It looks like you were crying." Robin sat up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground behind him. "I started DROWNING, Cyborg." Cyborg's eyes widened in horror, and he rushed over to his companion's side to check on him. "Holy CRAP! Are you alright?" he asked, examining various parts of his body. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, thanks to Star." He smiled at her affectionately again in thanks, and she felt herself smile back from behind her legs. Robin then whirled back on Cyborg, looking slightly annoyed. "My foot got caught in the vent YOU were supposed to repair 3 weeks ago! You could have KILLED me!" he shouted, raising his arms in exasperation, but he forgot they were what was holding him up, and his head fell back, hitting the cement with a THUD. "Owwwwwwwwww." he moaned, but sat up again to face Cyborg, obviously angry.  
  
Cyborg bore his hands in innocence and shook his head. "Hey, it's not my fault you felt like swimming! Besides, it was raining, you don't expect me to perform such a complicated task in the rain, do ya?" Robin groaned in frustration. "It rained TWICE in the past 3 weeks, you idiot! And it's not that hard, you go down there, you put the cover on, and YOU SCREW IT IN! I COULD HAVE ASKED A MONKEY WITH HALF A BRAIN TO DO IT AND HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DONE IT MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN YOU!!" Cyborg chuckled and patted Robin's fuming form on the shoulder. "Glad to see you're ok, buddy." He rose to stand and leave, but halfway up he leaned into Robin's ear and muttered something Starfire was not able to hear. "You didn't seem too mad at me a few minutes ago. Let's see, you and Starfire, holding each other and smiling WHILE she's on top of you, both soaking wet AND wearing spandex? Sounds like a wild sex dream, if you ask me." Cyborg left them laughing, but felt something hard hit him on the back of the head. He realized Robin had just thrown something at him, but he ignored and, chuckling, went downstairs.  
  
"Remind me later to kill him." Robin said as he turned to Starfire. He tried to stand, but his legs wobbled under the weight, and he stumbled. Starfire caught his arm, so he did not land flat on his face, and roped her arm over his shoulders for support. He gripped her with his hand and, together, they walked to the tower door. "Are you sure you are alright?" she asked as she aided him. "Yeah, I'm fine, just, one thing." He turned to her and smiled, bearing his white teeth. "Don't let me go swimming for a while, ok?" Starfire giggled and nodded, and helped him inside the house.  
  
~*~ YAY I DID IT!!! Heh, that was FUN!! Not as much comedy as I had hoped for, but eh? Whaddaya gonna do? Hehe, the next chapter will be better, involving pool (the game, silly! Like Starfire would even let Robin in after all that!!) cards, and a shower. Hehehe, ooh this will be entertaining, just to give you something to dangle by. Oh, and I'm going on vacation for a week, I'm leaving early Saturday, and I will have no access to a computer. I might be able to squeeze the next chapter out in time, but it's not likely. But, I might, so WHOO! Hehe, well, if I don't, I'll se ya in a week!!!~*~ 


	4. Big mistake, corner pocket

~*~ Ok, peeps, (Heh, I always wanted to say that) I'm gonna get a jump start on this chappie before I go away, so let's see if I can do it! Also, I have a favor to ask; I never saw the beginning of "Sisters," I saw up from when they beat the first pink thing-a-ma-bob. From what I hear, the Ferris wheel scene with Robin and Starfire is quite entertaining ^-^ so could someone please e-mail me IN FULL DETAIL what happened?!?! I MUST KNOW!!! BAHHH!!!!! Hehe, sorry ^-^ Ok, also, in this chapter, there's a card game played called BS. I may as well explain it now for those of you who don't know it, to save confusion. It's short for 'Bullshit,' each player is dealt cards until the deck runs out. They look at their cards, but must be sure the other players don't see them (duh!) Anyway, going from smallest to highest in the deck, they put down cards face down in a pile, going in order around the table. For example, if you had 2 aces in your deck when you were supposed to put down aces, you place them both down, then the next person must put down a 2, then the next a 3, etc. However, if you don't have the card to put down at the time, you bluff and put down another card and say it's whatever it's supposed to be. If a person calls 'BS' on you and you had lied about your card, you have to take the whole pile. If they call it and you were telling the truth, they take the pile. The winner is the first out of cards. Geddit? Good! Ok, on we go! ~*~  
  
It was a few days later. After Robin's near-brush with death, Starfire had restricted him from doing close to anything, fearing something would happen. After much convincing (and much blame on Cyborg) she let up and finally released her concerned grip on him. It was late afternoon. Beast Boy and Cyborg sat at the living room table playing cards. Beast Boy was not particularly good at this game, and continued to lose both it and his money, which he stupidly kept betting. ("I'll catch my lucky break!" he cried as Cyborg took another handful of bills off the table. "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that. Play again?") Raven hovered into the room, stopping short to view Robin and Starfire at the opposite end of the room. He was trying to teach her how to play pool, and seemed to enjoy doing it. She was hunched over the table with pool stick in hand, one eye shut in concentration. Robin was bent over her, holding both her hands to guide the stick on where to go. "Ok, so just hit the little white ball so it hits another ball and goes in one of the holes." he explained, and Raven observed how he was gleaming as he instructed her. Starfire pushed her stick forward and struck the cue-ball with a light 'click,' but instead of hitting the 9 ball, as intended, it bounced off the wall and sank into the corner pocket. Starfire turned around to face Robin, smiling animatedly at him. "Did I win?!" she exclaimed, rolling up and down on her heals. Robin chuckled, shook his head and walked over to the hole and removed the ball, placing it back on the table. "No, Star. You scratched." Starfire tilted her head curiously and joined him on the other side of the table. She picked up the ball, looked at it for a moment or two, and ran her nails over it quickly. Robin couldn't help but laugh a little at her. He took the ball from her hand and put it back on the table. "No, no Star, you don't actually scratch it! It's just a term, it means you only hit the cue ball into the hole, which is against the rules." Starfire nodded, understanding, and resumed her position crouched over the table, with Robin grasping her hands and arching himself nearly over her back, but their faces still remained incredibly near to each other. She smacked the white sphere a little harder this time, and it came in contact with a single red ball, ricocheted off the side, and slipped neatly in a side pocket. Starfire squealed with glee, still hunched down and looked up at the smiling Robin with bright eyes. "I did it! I got it in!" she yelped, but her expression turned from a happy one to one of slight concern. "Robin, I feel as this game is a little one sided. Would you like a turn?" she asked, still in the shooting position. "Nah, that's ok, Star." He grinned, reflexively squeezing her two hands. "I like teaching." She beamed back and they resumed.  
  
Raven shook her head, smiling a bit to herself and continued to float into the room. "They would make a cute couple." she thought to herself, but then her face screwed up in disgust. "Ugh, did I just say the word CUTE?! Mental note-hit self over head with bat." Raven stopped at the table, where Beast Boy was burying his head in his hands and groaning as a triumphant Cyborg swept up his most recent winnings. "You never learn, do you?" Cyborg asked as he counted his many green slips of paper. "What are you playing?" she asked as she took a seat at the head. "BS, and I keep LOSING!! I'm out $103 bucks!" Beast Boy cried. Raven raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "How can you bet money on BS? It's a rapid game that allows no time to make bets." she stated. Cyborg had finished counting his winnings and put them back on the table. "We bet on the game. Whoever wins gets the money, and it 30 games, I haven't lost once!" he said with a grin. Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Wanna play?" he asked the mysterious girl. "Nah, I'm not one for cards.." "You're not one for anything!" Beast Boy joked, but shrunk in his chair under the death glare Raven sent him. "C'mon, Raven. Winner of this game gets 10 smack-a-roonies." Cyborg swayed. Raven looked down at the large heap of money, thinking of how she could use a new stereo. "Make it 50." She demanded. "Ooh, the lady is a high-roller!" Beast Boy remarked. Cyborg's eyes enlarged in shock. "50?! THAT much?!" he cried. "What's the matter, scared you'll lose to a girl?" Raven asked, still monotonous but with a hint of taunting. "Oh, you're on." Cyborg said, and slapped the money on the table. Raven slipped a note next to his while Beast Boy rummaged through his pockets. "Uh, I've got $3.75, some lint, and a yoyo." he said meekly. "Good enough, now deal!" Cyborg commanded. Beast Boy reluctantly scattered the cards to the players until he ran out. They each lifted their deck, and since Cyborg had the Ace of Spades, he won the right to go first. "One ace." he said as he tossed it to the center of the table. Raven being on his right, went next. "Two 2's."  
  
"One 3."  
  
"Three 4's."  
  
"One 5."  
  
"Three-"  
  
"BS." Raven cut the green boy off. He stared at her, stunned, and, grumbling, took the pile and added it to his deck. The game went on.  
  
"Two sevens."  
  
"One eight."  
  
"One nine."  
  
"Three 10's."  
  
"One jack."  
  
"Two-"  
  
"BS." Beast Boy's sentence was yet again snipped short by Raven's clear voice. He sighed and again took the pile. It went on like this for a little while, Raven waiting for the mound to grow and then calling the bluff, which she was ALWAYS right about, and soon she had only one card left, while a seething Cyborg and an astonished Beast Boy clutched between them the remaining 51 cards. Raven tossed her final card in the pile and smirked. "I win." she said simply, and raked in her winnings. "That's not fair! I demand a rematch!" Cyborg cried. Raven flipped her earning modestly, and looked up at him with plotting violet eyes. "Fine. 100 dollar bet." His jaw dropped as he stared at her like she had roaches crawling from her mouth as she spoke. "MINIMUM." She added. "ARE YOU INSANE?! THAT'S MORONIC! THAT'S LUDICROUS! THAT'S-" It was then Raven slapped 2 crisp 50 dollar bills on the table. Cyborg stared at them in awe, craving the crinkle they made when he folded them. He whipped out a few bills and smacked them on hers. "Beast Boy, deal, now!" he ordered. Beast Boy weakly pulled out the insides of his pockets, revealing nothing but the cloth from inside. "Sorry, guys, I'm cleaned out. You can play amongst yourselves." Raven looked up at him and pushed the neatly piled deck in his direction. "It's alright, you don't need a bet, just play. Misery always needs company." she said glancing over at the engineered boy on her left. "Can I have my yoyo back?" Beast Boy asked. "JUST DEAL!!!" they both screamed at the same time, and the green boy shrieked a little and sent out the cards. He ended up going first.  
  
"O-O-One ace."  
  
"One 2" Cyborg said.  
  
"Two 3's."  
  
"One 4." "One 5."  
  
"Three-"  
  
"BS!!!!!!" Cyborg screamed at the girl, pointing a finger accusingly. Raven placed a hand on the pile, and Cyborg whooped in victory. But, instead of reeling it in, she flipped over her three cards she had laid down, revealing, indeed, three 6's, as she said. "You were saying?" she said with an underhanded smirk. Cyborg mumbled something and took the cards. The process repeated, and not before long, Raven clutched another fresh round of bills in her hands. Cyborg couldn't believe it, and idiotically raised the bet again. He lost. He moved the bet up more. He lost. AGAIN. He lost. It wasn't long before Raven had accumulated over 1000 dollars, while an impressed Beast Boy laughed at a crying, complaining Cyborg. "It isn't FAIR! I NEVER LOSE! WHY?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE ALL OF IT?! ALL MY MONEY, GONE!!! FOREVER!!! Why, why, why, why, why..." With each "why," he pounded the table with his fist. Raven sneered, picked up her spoils, and leaned back into the chair with her hands rested behind her head. "I can't WAIT til I'm old enough to hit Vegas." she muttered. Beast Boy turned to the lamenting Cyborg. "Oh, be over-dramatic, whydoncha?" Beast Boy remarked, and gave Raven a thumbs up from across the table. Raven merely nodded in acknowledgement, pocketed the cash, and entered the living room. She sprawled out into the couch and lifted her arm in the air. A book floated directly into it, and she brought it down, cracked it open, and began to read.  
  
Starfire's giggle broke the silence that had formed, and across the room everyone finally noticed what the 2 were doing. Raven glanced over at them from behind her hardback, and Beast Boy nudged a mourning Cyborg to jolt his attention away from himself. Robin and Starfire had abandoned the typical game of pool and instead created their own game. They stood on opposite ends of the table and rolled the balls rapidly to each other, catching the ones sent to them, and then firing back. It seemed to be quite entertaining, both were laughing heartily at it. But, all of a sudden, the 8 ball flew across the table and smacked right into Robin's finger, trapping it briefly between itself and the wall. Robin yelped in pain and leapt backwards, clutching his hand. "OW-WO!" he cried, shaking his hand in an attempt to quell the throbbing. Starfire's face grew concerned and she hurried to his side, taking his injured hand in both of hers. "Robin! Did I hurt you? I am so sorry!" she apologized, examining the wound. "It's ok, it just stings a little." Robin said with a smile, but winced when she gently touched it. Tenderly, she pulled off his green glove to inspect it more properly. His index finger was very red and slightly swollen but otherwise, looked fine. Robin bent it to demonstrate how it was ok, but still grimaced a little. "See? Nothing's wrong! I'm alr-" He stopped as Starfire brought the finger to her lips and softly kissed it. Robin looked at her wildly, mouth agape. Beast Boy and Cyborg snickered as Raven widened her eyes a little. Starfire looked at him happily, but when she saw no change in his expression, furrowed her brow in confusion and looked back down at it. "Did I do it wrong?" she asked, lifting the finger directly to her eye. "Do what wrong?" he questioned, still staring at her in bewilderment. "Kiss it. I saw on a television show once that when you get hurt, if you kiss it, it will make it better." She smiled, but glanced back down at his appendage in concern. "Did I do it wrong?" Robin laughed and patted both her hands with his own. "No, Star, actually, I'm feeling a lot better right now." She beamed, glad she could help him, and released his hand. She began to stroll down the hallway that lead to the bedrooms. "I am going to take a shower, the days activities have left me slightly dirty. I shall see you all soon!" She called over her shoulder, and disappeared into her room. Robin smiled after her, gazed down at his finger and chuckling, put his glove back on.  
  
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!" Beast Boy and Cyborg said at the same time in high pitched voices. Robin rolled his eyes and joined Raven on the couch. "See, I told you he was crazy about her." Cyborg said as he hooked his thumb in Robin's direction. Robin bolted up, infuriated. "You TOLD?!?" he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. Cyborg laughed as Raven rolled her eyes. "You-you said you wouldn't!!" Robin cried, flustered. Cyborg raised a finger intelligently. "Correction- when I said I wouldn't tell that you had fallen for Starfire like a ton of bricks, it was implied that I wouldn't tell STARFIRE, which I haven't, and don't intend to. Raven and Beast Boy, however, are completely out of the picture, and CAN be told." he concluded, grinning. "Aren't we the clever one?" Raven muttered, resuming back to her book. Beast Boy sauntered over to him, smirking furtively, and flopped onto the couch next to Robin, slinging his arm over Robin's shoulders, pulling him in closer to his own. "So, get any action?" he asked bluntly. "BEAST!!" The shape shifter laughed and pulled him in closer. "Aw, is widdle Wobbie-Wob afwaid to talk about his widdle girlfwiend?" Robin broke away from him and crossed to the other side of the room, his arms folded defiantly over his chest. "She's...not...my...GIRLFRIEND! And if she was, I sure as hell would not be taking this crap from YOU!" he shouted, and then whirled on Beast Boy. "And NEVER call me Robbie-Rob EVER again!" he commanded.  
  
"Pff, love. A meaningless emotion created by the greeting card industry in order to boost sales of those annoying cards that say 'You're the bestest! I wub you soooo much!' The whole concept is utterly pointless." Raven remarked from behind her book. Cyborg stared at her strangely. "Uh..Raven? I'm pretty sure that love was around a little longer than Hallmark." "And I'm pretty sure you just lost 1000 dollars in a game of BS, so if I were you, I'd shut my trap." she said simply, not looking up to see Cyborg briefly flip her off. Beast Boy shrugged, and turned back to Robin. "I think it's nice you're finally doing something about your feelings. After all," he walked up to him and spoke to him as if he was addressing a 4-year- old, pinching his cheek. "We can't have our widdle Wobbie-Wob unhappy, can we?" Robin groaned loudly and pushed Beast Boy's hand off his face. "I know it's hard, but do you think you could stop acting like an idiot for ONCE?" Raven said to the green boy a few feet in front of her. Beast Boy glared at her and continued to the couch. "Man, I'm actually really happy for you! It's good to see you're in love! Love is like oxygen! Love is a many splendor thing! Why love, love.." Beast Boy leapt up on the couch with a foot perched on the back his arms raised in the air in song. "LOVE LIFTS US UP WHERE WE BELONG! WHERE EAGLES FLY ON A MOUNTAIN HIGH!!" he sang, and pointed to Raven expectantly as the others stared at him like he was on fire. "If you honestly expect me to start singing from that idiotic movie you are sadly mistaken." she muttered, and slammed her book shut. Beast Boy shrugged and slouched back into his seat. "Eh, worth a shot." he said.  
  
"Since when do you have random bursts of song?" Robin asked, still stunned. "I watched "Moulin Rouge" the other day out of boredom and now they're all stuck in my head. Nicole Kidman is really HOT!" he exclaimed, and the others toppled over at this remark. "Dude, she's, like, 80!" Cyborg said with disdain upon rising. "No! She's 40-something, or something, 80 is a large exaggeration." the Beast said defiantly. "It doesn't matter how old she is, she still stole the damn Oscar away from Renee Zellwigger. She deserved it for "Chicago" WAY more than Nicole did in "The Hours," bunch of lesbians running around for 2 hours, waste of time." Raven grumbled, crossing her arms. Now the stares lay on her. "What? I can be enriched in pop culture!" she exclaimed, louder than intended. Robin shook it off and headed to the hall. "Yeah, as thrilling as this conversation is, I'm gonna go see if Star's done, I was gonna take her to dinner or something." He spun around and pointed a finger at Beast Boy. "NOT as a date, dumb-ass! I'll see you guys later." The boys waved him off, and soon got in a shouting match over a meaningless topic. No one seemed to notice that Raven's eyes flashed a bright blue, which only happened when she was receiving a premonition.  
  
"Robin, don't go down there." she stated simply, turning to him. He faced her and cocked his head. "Why? I'm just gonna check on her." he said. Raven looked him dead in the eye, a stone cold expression on her face. "Robin, I am TELLING you, do-not-go-down-that-hallway." Robin shrugged, shaking his head at her. "Unless you give me a valid reason I'm still going." He turned on his heal and walked down the corridor. Raven sighed and slunk back into the couch. "Fine. Be a stubborn, ignorant pig. It's your funeral."  
  
Robin approached Starfire's door quickly. He held up a hand and knocked, but when he heard no response, creeked it open to see if she was there. "Star? You ok?" Still no reply, so he opened the door swiftly all the way. A loud shriek was heard, and Robin tumbled backwards from both the shock and the sound. In the room, a nude Starfire had managed to wrap a towel around her private areas in the confusion, but, as you might expect, that was not the way she was when Robin opened the door. She panted, tucking her garnet, soaking hair behind her ear. Robin, his face as red as wine, cowered in the hallway outside, covering his eyes and shaking his head back and forth. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod I'm so SORRY!!! I-I-I didn't know you were...I'M SORRY!" Starfire, while still in her embarrassed state, managed a grin. "It is alright, Robin, I-I suppose I should have..locked the door. I shall meet you in the lounge." With that, she slammed her door shut, with a whimpering leader curled up against a wall.  
  
Robin flitted back into the main room quietly, his head hung with his palms cupped over his eyes. Raven upon seeing him, rose and stated she was going back to her room. She passed him, her winnings in hand. "I warned you." she chanted in a sing-songy voice, and flipped the green in her hand. "Honestly, they never trust a physic." And she vanished. Robin fell onto the couch, moaning into the pillows. "Rob, you alright?" Cyborg asked. Robin rolled over, landing on the floor, and got up to go to the kitchen. "I-I-I-I'm g-g-g-g-gonna get s-s-s-something t-to eat." he stuttered, not bothering to cover it up. Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged glances, interested, and rounded on him and blocking his way to the kitchen. "Ok, spill it, what happened?" Beast Boy asked abruptly. Robin knew the absolute last thing he needed right now were the jeers of his comrades about seeing his 'girlfriend' changing, and tried to pass them. "N-N-N-N- Nothing happened! W-Why would y-y-y-you say th-th-th-that?!" he asked, stammering more than an old Porky Pig cartoon. "Cut the crap, bird boy, something OBVIOUSLY happened. You're stuttering, and everyone knows you only stutter when you're nervous." Cyborg remarked, feeling intelligent. "J- J-J-J-Just leave m-m-me alone." Robin murmured, and tried to sneak by them, but Cyborg towered over the boy greatly, making it impossible for him to pass. "C'mon, you know we won't stop bugging you OR let you get something to eat until you tell us. So you either 'fess up, or starve..or, eat one of us...and by US, I mean me, being, unlike Cyborg, 100% meet...uh, Cy, maybe we should let him by.." Beast Boy quivered. "I-I-I-I may as w-w-well tell y- y-y-you so I c-c-c-can get this damn st-st-st-st-stutter out of the way." Robin said, slowly walking back into the main room. Cyborg and Beast Boy chased after him, sitting on the couch on either sides of him.  
  
"I-I-I-I went t-t-t-to Star's r-r-r-room to s-s-see her, and th-th-th-th- th..." "T-T-T-T-Today, junior!" Beast Boy laughed, quoting Adam Sandler with a perfect impression. "SHE WAS CHANGING!!!!!!!!" Robin shrieked, causing a few windows to shatter. Faintly outside, someone could be heard yelling "Perve!!" Cyborg and Beast Boy stared at him in complete shock. "I opened the door and she was changing, I fell backwards but she managed to cover herself with a towel. Ugh, I'm such a...a.." "Dork? Pervert? Stubborn, ignorant pig?" Cyborg added a few suggestions. Robin glared. "Did you...you know...see..anything?" Beast Boy asked curiously, trying to find the right words. "No, I swear, I really didn't." Cyborg scoffed as Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "I didn't!" he cried, but the boys kept their 'You-lie-like-a-rug-and-you-can't-fool-us,' look. Robin groaned, grabbed a bible off the shelf, walked back to them, and placed his right hand over it. "I swear on the Holy Bible I did NOT see any of Starfire's-erm-private areas." he stated honestly. "I believe you, man, but if you really are lying, you're going straight to hell, you know that, right?" Cyborg asked with a smirk. "Robin, if you didn't see anything, what are you getting so worked up about?" Beast Boy questioned. Robin ran his fingers through his hair in annoyance. "Were you even LISTENING?! It was HUMILIATING! I may never be able to look her in the eye again! And what will SHE think?! What if she never wants to see me again?! I MAY HAVE COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE RELATIONSHIP I NEVER HAD!!" He began furiously shaking Beast Boy by the collar, holding him in the air high over the couch, then dropped him back on it. "Oh." replied the green boy, rubbing his neck subconsciously.  
  
"Are you ready to leave, Robin?" a soft voice asked behind them. Robin spun around, and low and behold, Starfire stood before him, fully dressed with her hair dried and in its normal style. Robin looked at her, puzzled. "Uh...sure...you still wanna go?" he asked, slightly confused. Starfire smiled kindly at him and giggled. "Of course I would still like to go, why wouldn't I?" she asked sincerely. Robin fumbled with the hem of his cape. "I mean-I just-you and.. the..shower..I thought..." Starfire giggled. "Robin, are you embarrassed about walking in on me?" she asked. He laughed weakly. "Robin, one simple mistake does not change an entire friendship. Nothing has gotten different, it is the same. Besides, I was very much looking forward to eating out." she looked down, a faint blush tickling her cheeks. "With you." she added. Robin looked up and smiled, his uneasiness gone, and lead her out the door with him. "Now, explain this concept of a ham-burger to me again?"  
  
Cyborg chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, yeah, he loves her."  
  
~*~ WHOO HOO! I GOT IT DONE! YAY FOR ME!!! .::throws confetti everywhere and dances around like an idiot::. Heh, I'm so glad I could finish this before I left! I wanna start the next few chapters REALLY badly, and with this done, I can do it sooner!! 2 things-One, if Cyborg comes off as a jerk, I swear, it wasn't intended. I didn't really seem to know much about his personality, so I pulled traits from a bunch of my guy friends. He's really just supposed to be the joking best buddy, not an obnoxious guy in the background. Two, sorry if the end seemed a little forced. Actually, I had to, my family is waiting in the car for me right now and I had to get it done! I gotta go now, ah, a week at the beach..sun, surf, and boys .::grins devilishly::. Hehe j/k, cya next week!~*~ 


	5. Two hand touch and tickle fights

~*~ *slides in on wooden floor in tube socks, crashes into wall, gets up, gains composure, and grins* I'm ba-ack! I have returned from my vacation happy, tan, and brimming with IDEAS!!! Ok, I apologize now for the length of this-what is this thing called, anyway?-this thing, but over the course of the week, I've thought of a lot to say. Ok, as some of you may or may not know, this story is part of a series. The first is (obviously) about Starfire and Robin, and the second is about Beast Boy and Raven. That was all I wanted to do, but I had an idea for a THIRD story about Cyborg and an OC that I can't wait to write! I also thought of a few one-shots...one based on the Good Charlotte song "Emotionless" about Raven, I thought of when I saw the premier of 'Nevermore.' I already wrote and angsty one about S/R, but I can't put it up yet cuz my dad is too lazy to convert my documents to a CD *shakes fist at dad* I also thought of one for BB/R, but I can't tell you what it's about without spoilers for this sequel. (But that WON'T be part of the series, if that makes any sense.) And a sap- filled love fest is another thought, as well-The Titans are finally being appreciated for their efforts when the town announces they're throwing a banquet in their honor. Problem is, it's formal, and the last thing the boys need is being trapped in penguin suits all night, but that suddenly changes when they catch sight of the girls.- I'll let ya think about that one ;) Also, another chapter fic about, yep, you guessed it, Starfire and Robin!-Slade's latest plan to destroy the Titans targets Starfire, leaving her weak and getting worse by the second. Can Robin cope with the possible loss? Or will he find a way to save her before it's too late?- This is fun! Here's another!-Starfire must return to her home planet when she finds to her horror that she is betrothed to a rude, ignorant, horrible prince. Will she be stuck with Sir Nastiness forever? Not if Robin and the Titans have anything to do with it!- YAY! Ok, one more, then I'm done, I swear.- Starfire has gotten *closer* to someone else, much to Robin's disdain. He seems to sense something odd about him. Is it a mere case of the green-eyed monster, or could his suspicions of him harming Star really be true? I have about, a zillion stories lined up for them, oooh this will be fun..hehehe and I thought of some new things to stick in the chapters. ANYWAY here's the latest chapter! I thought of this idea BEFORE I saw the episode 'The Sum of his Parts,' so please remember that. Also, sorry for the lack of BB/R in this, I couldn't think of much, I'll try to get some in, really, I will. But if I don't, know this- the next chapter will be LOADED! Ok, here we go! Whoo!!~*~  
  
Raven flicked at the large wooden splinter in the park's picnic table absentmindedly. She wasn't exactly certain of how Starfire had convinced her as well as all the others to join her for a day of sunshine, but she had. It was a few days later, and after much urging, Starfire managed to get the entire crew out of the house and out to the park for a picnic. She was surprisingly very convincing, and Raven STILL couldn't understand how they got HER out there. "The girl's got persuasion skills up the wazoo." Beast Boy commented, joining her on the bench. She jumped slightly, startled by the green-skinned joker's voice beside her. She turned to him, a confused look concealed by the darkness of her hood. Beast Boy smiled at her. "I have an uncanny ability to read people's thoughts, but not in the literal sense of course. You're the only psychic on the team." He jokingly elbowed her in the side, but when this was done, her eyes transformed into tiny violet slits. "Never...touch...me." she growled, obviously irritated. Beast Boy laughed weakly and scooted a few inches away from her on the bench, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "So, uh, how about that sky, huh? Talk about blue! I mean, whoo!" Raven groaned at Beast Boy's ill-fated attempt at making conversation and rested her cheek in the palm of her hand, turning away from him and resuming back to the fascinating splinter. "Sooooooo....are you going to the Monster Truck Rally next Sunday?" he asked. She completely ignored him. "That would be a no...y'know it'll be really cool, Cyborg can get us in free because he's part mechanical, and lots of things will blow up and get crushed and get set on fire-" "Is this your idea of small talk?" Raven snapped, whirling back on him. Beast Boy smiled innocently, but Raven rolled her eyes and looked away from him.  
  
Across the field, Starfire sat in the shade with Robin and Cyborg on either sides of her. Robin reclined back, leaning on his hands behind him for support, lounging on the soft green grass and nibbling at a hot-dog. Starfire sat cross-legged, her elbows resting on her knees with her head lolling in her palms. Cyborg had both of his legs folded behind him in an uncomfortable-looking position, but he didn't seem to be bothered with it. He idly spun a football on its tip as he looked up occasionally to chuckle at his friend. Suddenly, he was struck with an idea. "Yo, any of y'all wanna play some good ol' fashioned football?" he asked upon rising. Robin stood up as well, and when Star nodded in agreement, he helped her up and they all wandered over to an open, unoccupied field. "Beast! C'mon, we're playing football and we need an extra man!" Robin called over his shoulder. Beast Boy grinned and leapt up off of the park bench, but he took not nearly half a step before turning back to the shadowy girl. "Uh....you wanna play." he asked, taking a step in and leaning on the table over her. Raven looked up and scoffed. "Me? And sports? How long have we been on the same team?" she said with what Beast Boy guessed was a slight laugh. He gave a half shrug and decided not to debate it any longer; once Raven was set in her ways that was the end of it. "Beast Boy, wait." He looked down his arm to see a grey hand restraining him from continuing. He gazed up at her, both surprised and thrilled, and gave her his full attention. Raven dug her remaining hand into the confines of her uniform and used it to pull out a large wad of bills. She set it on the table and gingerly pushed it toward him. "Take it." she commanded. Confused, Beast Boy lifted the money, fingering the warm green paper slowly. "Wait..what's this for?" he asked, utterly baffled at this point. "From the other day. You said you lost $103 dollars, and I just happened to have a little extra from my winnings." she said, still gripping her ever-emotionless expression so strongly it was possible it would choke. Beast Boy half smiled, and breathed a laugh. "Wow. That-That was really nice of you, Raven." he said, now beaming. "Yeah, well, don't read too much into it." She finally released her grip on the shape shifter's arm and sat back, arms folded neatly over her chest. Beast Boy continued to smile, and eventually stuffed the green in his pocket and joined the others to toss around the pigskin. Watching him walk away, Raven suddenly couldn't help but smile...  
  
"A'ight, so it's Beast Boy and Star Vs. me and Robin. Pff, we're gonna waste you guys." Cyborg laughed as he flipped the ball aimlessly in his hands. Beast Boy and Star set up for defense as Robin hiked the ball to Cyborg. Robin bolted past Starfire, who watched him happily, oblivious of what was going on. Beast Boy groaned and shot after Robin, but it was too late; he had already caught the ball in the enzone. "TOUCHDOWN!!!!" he exclaimed, and spiked the ball hard onto the ground. Beast Boy sluggishly walked back over her. "Star, what was THAT?!" he cried. "Beast Boy, that was a football, silly! Don't you know about the game?" she asked with a giggle. Beast Boy slapped his forehead in frustration and groaned. "No, I mean, why didn't you BLOCK? You were supposed to guard Robin! You were supposed to prevent, well THAT." He hooked a thumb in Robin's direction. "HEE hee hee!" Robin cried in a high pitched voice, and began to moonwalk to complete his Michael Jackson impression. Starfire nodded and stated, "How do you wish for me to do it?" "Look, all you have to do is make sure Robin doesn't get the ball, ok? I'll take care of Cyborg. Just block Robin!" he yelled, and then stormed back to the defensive position. Starfire smiled and joined him, narrowing her eyes slightly in determination. "Down, set, hut hut HIKE!" Cyborg cried, and dropped back for a long Hail Mary to Robin. Robin, however, could barely get passed the line of scrimmage, because before he knew it, Starfire was careening head- first into his stomach. She struck him with great force, causing him to tumble backwards. But on his way down, he snatched her wrist pulling her with him, both rolling head over heals until finally halting with Starfire perched triumphantly on a moaning, pained Robin's chest. "Was that good, Beast Boy?" she called to him, grinning. Cyborg, still holding the football, leaned into Beast Boy, the game abandoned. "I thought we were playing 2 hand touch." Beast Boy whispered into Cyborg's ear. "We ARE. But maybe their playing a little rougher, if ya know what I'm saying." he chuckled, elbowing the comedian in the chest. "What IS it with you and the sexual innuendos?"  
  
Starfire turned back to the boy she was merrily sitting on, but gasped when she saw the expression etched in his face. "Robin! Did I hurt you? I was simply doing as Beast Boy instructed! I apologize!" she exclaimed, frightened. Robin looked up at her and smiled despite his state. "No, Star, I'm fine, you didn't hurt me." he rasped, his voice hardly making a sound. Starfire was not comforted by this, and reluctantly slid off his midriff and looked him over with concern. "Hey, Star, can I ask you something?" he said, sitting up, his voice returning to somewhat normal. Starfire nodded, and he questioned, "Are you ticklish?" She thought this was a bit random, but all the same, with her raised eyebrow, she responded. "Yes..at least I believe so..." "Good." With that last word, Robin grabbed her sides and whipped her backwards, tickling her furiously. "Ah! Robin no!" she squealed between her fits of laughter. He simply wouldn't let up, and laughed with her and she squirmed in his strong grip. She tried to escape, kicking viciously, and managed to squeak away for a split second. But Robin dove after her, catching her ankle and causing her to trip onto the cool grass. She closed her eyes tightly, giggling as Robin's fingers ran swiftly over her sides. Eventually, she realized they had stopped, and she paused to catch her breath, then finally peeked open her eyes. She was a bit startled at what she saw, but not in the least disappointed.  
  
Robin had moved in dangerously close to Starfire's face, so close in fact that the tips of each of their noses brushed together. He was lying on top of her, pinning both her arms behind her head. Unconsciously, he started breathing heavily, perhaps of the strain he put into their mock fight, or of the anxiety from the realization of what he was doing. Starfire studied his facial features scrupulously, smiling slightly. "You smell good." Robin said bluntly, then upon recognition of what he just stated, began to sweat and scrunched up his face in embarrassment. Starfire giggled and stared into the white cloth that shielded his eyes. "Thank you, I bath regularly. The scent which is emitted from your body is nice as well, although I am certain that was already established." She said with a laugh. Robin sighed with relief, and smiled back. "YO! GUYS! THINK YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF EACHOTHER FOR ONE MINUTE?" Beast Boy called from across the field, laughing vociferously with Cyborg. Then a faint, "OW! Whaddcha do that for?!" was heard, Raven had just hit him in the back of the head. The teens looked at each other, finally noticing the position they were in, and laughed meekly together, rose, and blushed redder than 2 Jersey tomatoes.  
  
They walked over to the others in an awkward silence, Starfire glancing sideways while holding one of her elbows in her palm and Robin not lifting his gaze from his feet. "We're going home. Thought we may was well tell you." Raven said to them on arrival, and lifted off the ground to float into the direction of the tower. Beast Boy, rubbing the back of his head and grumbling something, followed, with Cyborg in tow. Starfire walked some number of steps behind Robin, still feeling her cheeks burning passionately. She paused to glance over at some plants growing from the ground. She was in awe of them, and crouched down to get a better view. Gently, she toyed with the petals, feeling their soft presence on her fingertips. "Did you have flowers on your planet?" someone asked behind her. She turned only her head, remaining in her hunched position, to see Robin, his hands hidden behind his back. Starfire merely nodded, and Robin stepped over to join her bent over the plants. "Yes, we did have such plants in my home, but none were as pretty as this." she commented, smiling once again. "Well, this one is called a daisy; they're pretty common around here." He leaned in and plucked one of the flowers out of its plot. He looked down at the tiny white plant, smiled, and faced Starfire again. Robin lifted it to her eye level and slipped it neatly in her beautiful cherry locks. "There. Now you can have one to keep." he said with a grin. Starfire felt the blossom in her hair and beamed at Robin. "Thank you." she breathed, she now found the wonderful moment they just shared had left her breathless. They stayed there for what seemed like an eternity, gazing unconsciously into each other's eyes. A lone breeze blew by, sweeping up Robin's cape and tangling itself in Starfire's hair. Robin soaked up the last ounce of this moment, then coughed and scratched the bridge of his nose. "Um, maybe we should go..the guys are pretty far ahead, and it's Cyborg's night to cook, maybe we should get a jumpstart on extinguishing fires." he said with a laugh. He rose and extended his hand to help her up. She accepted it, and with a nod Robin ran off to catch his friends. Starfire touched the flower that now stood out in her hair, closed her eyes, and sighed, feeling her whole body tingle. Finally she floated off the ground and zipped after her teammates.  
  
~*~ W00t! (Sorry, I always wanted to write that) There's another chapter! Hoo-rah! Hope you liked it! Reviews are always appreciated! Til next time, this is Melody signing off! Bye! ~*~ 


	6. Don't be scared, it's carnival!

~*~ YAY! REVIEWS! Thank you!! Whoo-hoo! I am so happy right now, Good Charlotte won Viewer's Choice at the VMA's!!!!! Yippie! And my beloved Marshall Mathers beat up a puppet..hehe that was SO funny-"Yay! You don't write to your fans! Yay! That's wrong! Yay! Stan is dead! Yay!" Oh that Eminem, he never ceases to amaze me ^.^ I am in love with the most random people-Tyson Ritter *sigh* Eminem *sigh* Derek Jeter *sigh* Christopher Masterson *sigh* and about a hundred more, but I won't bore you with that. ^-~ I'm actually frustrated with myself at this point because I wanted to throw a song into the last chapter, but I couldn't decide between Weezer's 'Possibilities' or Good Charlotte's 'Wondering' and just left it out completely. But, after much thought, I decided on Weezer, the lyrics just fit better, in my opinion. Sorry to all you GC fans out there, but there is a one-shot coming out about Raven based on their song, so be happy! I'm excited, there are only 4 more chapters left! Wait, is it 4? .::stops to count on fingers::. My mistake, it was 5 but I've been dreaming of writing these chapters the whole time! I have it all planned out, eeee this will be fun!! Then, after this, you know what you get...dun dun dun BEAST BOY/RAVEN FIC! WHOOOO! Sorry, my little ramblings, just thought you wanted to know. Ok, onward! ~*~  
  
Starfire leaned against the window of the tower, her forehead pressed against the cool glass, gazing out longingly at the scattered lights sprawled out over the city. She sighed and glanced back at her friends, who seemed to be concentrating on other things. Cyborg was lying on a couch, listening to his walkman and unknowingly mouthing the words. He was listening to something called '50 Cent' he told her, but she didn't understand why a person would go by the name of currency. Beast Boy was ducked behind the fridge door, trying to inconspicuously eat something with no one the wiser. As he munched on the unknown product, he failed to notice the dark figure looming over him, until she ripped the food from his hand. "HEY! I was eating that!" he cried as he searched for his lost snack. Raven fiddled with the spoon that she just stole with disgust, and looked down at him with a repulsive expression. "You were eating COOKIE DOUGH?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Beast Boy stood and placed his arms in an akimbo position. "So what if I was?" he responded, craving the cold, sweet covered utensil that was so wrongly taken from him. She scoffed and pointed the spoon at him. "It's disgusting! You were eating RAW food! Don't you know that stuff can KILL you?" Suddenly, something dawned on Raven, and her eyes seemed to gleam a bit. She tossed the spoon back at Beast Boy, which he reflexively caught. "On second thought, eat it. Eat as much as you want. You won't see me stopping you." she uttered with a smirk, and skulked away into the living room. Beast Boy pulled the package of the stuff out of the fridge and beamed at her. "Gee, thanks Raven! You're the best!" he cried, excited. He happily sauntered to the kitchen table, but before he sat, he paused, mouth slightly agape, then finally whirled towards Raven's direction. "HEY! That was an INSULT, wasn't it?!"  
  
"Good news team!" Robin greeted upon entering the room. The others diverted his attention to him. "I'm treating you all to a night at the carnival! And by 'treat' I mean 'I had the idea,' you've still gotta pay for yourselves. I mean, what am I, Mr. Moneybags?" he cried, flailing his arms in the air, overreacting. Cyborg removed his headphones and set them on the coffee table. "Sounds cool, dude, but I can't make it, since I have no more MONEY." he emphasized the last word and glared at Raven when he said it. She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't worry man, I can spot you the 5 bucks for admission." Robin remarked. Cyborg grinned. "Hey, thanks! Y'think you could get me some cotton candy, too?" he questioned. "Don't push your luck." Robin replied emotionlessly. "Carnival? WHOO!" Beast Boy tossed the dough behind him and everyone heard it hit the wall with a SPLAT. "Carnivals are sooooooo coooooooooooool! There's this ride and it goes really really fast and you go on it and it's like WHOOSH!" he said quickly, bouncing up and down on his heals. Raven mentally snatched the spoon out of his hand and set it on the kitchen table. "No-More-Sugar-For-You." she said to him slowly. Starfire skipped to the others and giggled, all too giddy. "A night out does sound delightful, Robin. I would be happy to join you!" she said smiling. "Raven? What about you?" Robin asked as he turned to the dark girl behind him. She opened her mouth to say something and raised a finger, but when she saw the eager expressions on all of her friend's faces, she sighed and let it drop. "Fine. Whatever." she muttered, pulling up her hood. The team cheered and left together to go out.  
  
They arrived at the carnival a few minutes later. After a brief dinner consisting of enough grease to create the world's biggest Slip-and-Slide, Robin bought 100 tickets for everyone to share. But before they hit the rides, they decided it best to let their food settle and went to play some games. Starfire spotted an enormous stuffed bear at the stacked bottles game and instantly fell in love with it. She wasted most of her money trying desperately to knock over the bottles, as instructed, but even though she nailed them every time, the bottles would not budge. Starfire did not understand why this kept happening, but when it did, she felt incredibly saddened. Robin, from across the rigged entertainment field, glanced over to see her looking down with her eyes glistening. Immediately he stormed over to see what was wrong. "Hey! Buddy! Are you hurting my friend?" he asked the vendor in a threatening tone. An obese man with a scraggly beard and a large protruding stomach peeking out from his grease stained shirt scoffed at Robin and took a swig from a can of beer. "What? It's not my fault she throws like a girl." he replied, wiping some escaped foam away from his upper lip. "What are you talking about?! I could see from all the way over there she hit them every time!!" he cried, enraged. The man rolled his eyes and picked at his teeth. "Yeah, so whaddaya gonna do about it? You're just a kid." Robin was getting very annoyed with the vendor's ignorance. "Have you, by any chance, been living in a cardboard BOX under the train tracks for the past few years? We're members of the TEEN TITANS! Y'know, those kids who run around town all day stopping villains from destroying the universe all whilst suffering through raging hormones and the quest to find the always-missing remote? Huh? Heard of us?" he quipped, severely irritated. "Can't say I have."  
  
Robin buried his face in his palm and groaned in frustration. He then gained his composure and leaned in menacingly towards the vendor. "Well, recognition or not, that doesn't deny the fact that we're powerful. She," he pointed to Starfire with his left hand, who all the while had watched him speak with awe, "can crush boulders with her fists. Not to mention her abilities to fly and fire powerful green energy orbs from her hand. She alone could crush you like an insignificant bug in 3 seconds flat, but lucky for you, she's too NICE for that. Me, however," he drew in closer, glaring, with an expression that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger pee his pants. "I'll have you beaten to a bloody pulp so fast your un-shaven, disgusting, waste-of-human-flesh head will spin." he growled, his voice dripping with hostility. He casually brushed his cape away to reveal the myriad of weapons his utility belt contained. The man audibly gulped, but glared back to hide how much he truly was afraid. He scoffed and put his hands up to bear in innocence. "FINE, fine. Take the stupid bear, no need to get violent." He removed the stuffed animal from the hook that held it and handed it to Starfire, who squealed in delight. "There! You impressed your little girlfriend! Happy now?" Robin backed off, visibly losing some of his victorious 'ha-I-just-shut-you-down-and-I-win-so-BOO-yah!' luster and reddened greatly. "She's-she's not my-" Before he could finish, Starfire cut him off when she unexpectedly jumped into his arms and trapped him in a hug. "Thank you, Robin." she murmured as she nuzzled her head into his chest. He didn't even have time to react before she released him, scooped up her prize, and trotted off to show it to the others. Robin laughed a little and scratched his elbow with a smile, then went after her to join the rest.  
  
~Oh, oh,  
  
Possibilities.  
  
Take you home with me,  
  
In your arms.~  
  
The next stop they made was a roller coaster. It was called 'The Great Nor'easter' and consisted of 5 loops, 4 corkscrews, and a helluva lotta twists. (A/N-Hehe, I went on that when I was away last week w/ my cousin, it was really, really fun! ^-^) They all got in the suspiciously small line, and they all agreed that was because the ride seemed so intimidating. The ride was suspended, and Robin couldn't help but notice Star seemed a little nervous when she saw there was no floor and the only restraints were large overhead belts. "Step riiiiiiiiiiiiight up here! 5 tickets to ride the Great Nor'easter! C'mon, don't be shy! What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger!" the operator cried, and slammed a button that launched the next round of unsuspecting passengers swiftly out of the starting gate. Starfire cringed as she heard them scream. Robin anxiously hopped towards the cars and sat, strapping himself in. He handed the vendor the tickets for everyone and shifted in his seat to find comfort. Slowly, Star imitated his actions and sat, her feet nervously swaying slightly in the air. Cyborg tried to sit in the car behind them, but once he did, the whole ride tilted under his weight, and everyone found something to grab lest they fall and hurt themselves. The vendor walked over to Cyborg with a curious look. "Sorry, boy, but the weight limit on this ride is 350 lbs. How much do ya weigh?" he asked. "Only about 2 metric tons!" Cyborg replied, hoping he would be able to ride. The man shook his head. "Sorry kid, you've gotta get off, unless you want to kill all these innocent people." He indicated the passengers who had filed in to the seats behind him, and when this comment was made, not one eyeball was normal-sized. "Get him off!! Get him off!" everyone called simultaneously. "Fine, fine. I'll wait for you guys at the exit." Cyborg grumbled, getting up and snatching his 5 tickets back. The ride lurched back into its normal position, and the group sighed with relief as the mechanical man despondently sulked away.  
  
"I am NOT going on this pointless contraption." Raven muttered insolently. Beast Boy turned to her with pleading eyes. "Aw, c'mon Raven! It'll be fun!" he urged. "Precisely the reason that I don't wanna go. I'll be waiting with Cyborg." she said, crossing her arms to emphasize her point. Beast Boy sighed. "Fine. You obviously don't want to do something, and I respect that. You are a free person, and deserve to do what you please. You don't have to go on...hey what's THAT?!" he exclaimed as he pointed in the direction behind her. "Wha...?" Raven, for a moment, was confused, and turned to see what the boy had indicated. When she was distracted, Beast Boy grinned mischievously and seized Raven's wrist and before she knew it, he had whipped her into the car beside him and locked her in. She thrashed about angrily and beat the restraints in fury. "BEAST BOY!!!!!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!" she shouted, quickly losing her emotionless act and replacing it with one of hate. Beast Boy merely grinned victoriously and leaned back.  
  
Robin pointedly ignored the bickering 2 and turned back to the alien beside him, who was biting her lower lip anxiously. "Star? You alright?" he asked calmly. She tightened her grip on the restraints on either sides of her head and whimpered. "I-I have only seen these types of rides in books, and I am-well, I am a bit afraid. Are you certain this is safe?" she asked in a low voice. Robin smiled at her and nodded. "Of course it's safe, Star! I mean, who can you trust more than a carnie?" he asked with a chuckle. She did not giggle, but looked at her helpless legs in worry. "I still do not know if I want to be here..." she mumbled, fidgeting in place. Suddenly, she felt something gently clamp over her now-white knuckles. She gazed over to see Robin, smiling warmly, holding her hand gingerly. He gave it a squeeze of reassurance and all over her nervousness seemed to wash away, and she smiled back. The moment was ended when the operator sent them flying at top speed out of the gate, screaming their lungs out.  
  
~ I never thought I'd do that,  
  
Take me all away,  
  
And let your body stay.~  
  
The ride ended about 2 minutes later. The cars pulled in to let the riders out, but after it stopped, it abruptly jerked backwards, causing Starfire's head to slam into the hard headrest. She was staring forward with an emotionless expression, her mouth dangling open slightly, just barely panting. "Star? Are-are you ok?" Robin asked, feeling worried he had frightened the girl beyond no return. "Robin...." she whispered, still staring forward. "That...was.....IN-CREDIBLE!" she suddenly grew excited and bounced in her seat as she spoke and turned to face him. "Robin, that was amazing! It was scary and thrilling and death-defying and exhilarating all at the same time and OH can we go again?!" She gripped his hand eagerly as she beamed in pleasure. Robin smiled back as the belts were lifted from off their shoulders. "I'm glad you liked it! I knew you would! See, I would never let anything hurt you." There was a brief pause as she caught her breath, half from the ride and half from the flash they shared just before they took off. "C'mon, let's see what else is there!" he said, and they bustled off the ride.  
  
Raven sat unamused in her seat, her cape completely drawn over her head and strands of her lilac hair peeking out from beneath the hood. Even with the blue cloak fully concealing her face, Beast Boy could still see the livid glint in the depths of Raven's mauve eyes. "Heh heh heh, fun huh?" he said meekly. She blew a puff of air out, blowing the cloak back into place, and fixed her hair back to her liking. "If I were you, I'd sleep with one eye open." she muttered, and left him wide-eyed and afraid, very afraid.  
  
The next stop they made was the Merry-go-round. The operator here was a sickly skinny teenage girl no older than 16. She had enormous, thick braces complete with embarrassing headgear wrapped all about her face, and terrible skin, with large red bumps popping out everywhere. Her frizzy, dirty orange hair was pulled back into a messy braid, covered by a cap that read 'Keep on truckin'' When she spoke, she had an incredible lisp, spraying saliva on whoever was stupid enough to get close to her. "Ssssssssssssstep right up and sssssssssssssssee the wonderssssssss on the merry-go-round! It'sssssss great fun for the whole family!" Her appearance frightened many small children away, so her takers were all much older than whom the ride was designed for. Robin stepped up with Starfire first and slowly gave the tickets to the girl. "Thankssssssssss kidssssssssssss! There sssssssssshould be sssssssssssome available ssssssssseats on the other sssssssssside." she stated. Robin shook off the moisture on his clothes with disgust. "Yeah..thanks." he muttered, and Star giggled at him and began to help him clean himself off. "Y'know, I think you 2 make a really cute couple." the girl said with a somewhat smile. The 2 teens both straightened up at the same time and became rigid, staring at her in shock. "WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" they cried in unison, then glanced back at each other, blushed, and scurried away.  
  
~Oh, oh,  
  
Take me by the hand.  
  
Let me be the man,  
  
In your arms.~  
  
Cyborg stepped up next, although he was fully aware he couldn't go on because of his weight. He stepped over to the girl with a slight smile. "Hey, thanks, you did it perfectly." he said to her in a whisper. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, that'ssssssssss what they all ssssssssssay. Where'sssssss my compentsssssssation?" she asked him as she held out a hand expectantly. Cyborg grinned stupidly and pulled out a package of gum, the only thing he had to his name. The girl looked horrified. "Are you insssssane?! That'ssssssssss gum! My orthodondissssssssst will kill me!" she cried, smacking it out of his hand. Suddenly, she softened and looked at him seductively. "Hey, we can alwaysssssssss come to sssssssssome other agreement, if you know what I'm ssssssssaying." she muttered, causally running her fingers over his chest. Cyborg looked terrified and revolted at the same time. He jumped backwards and took off running in the other direction. "HEY! WHERE YA GOIN'?!" she shouted after him. "SOMETHING SUDDENLY CAME UP!!!" the robot replied, and sped off screaming in the distance. The girl scoffed and placed her hands at her hips. "Pff, men."  
  
After the harrowing experience at the merry-go-round, the Titans tried some other rides, and were severely disappointed with all of them. They were now walking aimlessly through the park, as Robin counted the remaining tickets in his hand. "Well, looks like we're down to our last 10 tickets. Any suggestions?" he asked. Beast Boy beamed and zipped off, expecting the others to follow. They did, and he led them to a large, old house with fake cardboard ghosts and monsters popping out of the windows. "The haunted house!" Beast Boy said in a scary voice. Robin nodded in agreement. "I'm game!" he said, whipping out the remainder of the tickets to give to the vendor. "I'll do ANYTHING to get away from that crazy freak-girl from the merry-go-round." Cyborg muttered, cautiously glancing from side to side. Starfire smiled, not sure of what a haunted house WAS, but was willing to try anything that was new and exciting. "Finally. Something I might relatively enjoy." Raven said as she gazed up at it, walking towards the entrance.  
  
They all went inside the dark house together. Spooky fog sifted in and out of the doorways. Starfire noticed several pairs of eyes on the paintings hung from the walls followed her when she walked. She whimpered nervously and inched in closer to the group. Cyborg looked at the cardboard cutouts of the demons with disappointment. "THIS is the haunted house? What a waste." he muttered. They approached a doorway shrouded by a long black cloak. A person covered in fake blood and with a pretend ax in their head stood next to it. "Enter, if you dare." he rasped in a frightening voice, and pulled the sheet away so they could pass. Obviously, the cheap details in the beginning were designed to throw those who ventured in off course, because within the room were much more frightening objects. They were in a dining room, looking old and decayed, spider webs draped every available corner and everything was buried beneath a fine layer of dust. A pale, wan butler stood at the head of a long table. Before them was a silver plate covered with an elegant lid. "Good evening, Masters and Madams. Welcome to Haunted Manor. I am Niles, your butler. You have just come in time to join us for dinner." he spoke with a flawless British accent. He lifted the plate quickly, revealing a person's head stuck in the plate. Hors'doevers surrounded him, giving him an appetizing appeal. "WAAAAAZZZZZAPP?!" the head asked. Robin, Raven, and Cyborg, having seen this trick done many times before, were not in the least scared. Starfire and Beast Boy however, were startled by the presence, and both shrieked like 3 year olds.  
  
They continued the tour; the next stop seemed to be the living room. A fire place burned harmlessly in the corner. To the right was a large collection of books, to the left an old, red arm chair. Scattered papers lay over the floor, and a desk in the corner was cluttered. "I don't see what's so scary about THIS room. Cyborg said as he flopped down in the chair. A gust of wind blew through, though there were no windows. "Now where did I place my glasses? Ah, yes, here they are." a bumbling voice said out of nowhere. The Titans all whipped around searching for the owner, but found nothing. It was then they saw a pair of glasses floating unaided across the room and stopping at the bookshelf. Everyone, except for Raven, who merely rolled her eyes, tensed up and watched speechless as a book effortlessly floated towards the easy chair. "AhhhAAAhhhHAAA!" Cyborg cried and tumbled head over heals out of the seat. The invisible man apparently sat, a tiny groove was created in the cushion, and the book opened on its own. "Whoa. Creepy." Beast Boy whispered. Out of nowhere, the tiny warming fire burst into monstrous flames, crawling out of the fireplace and nearing in on the teens. Everyone, again, except for Raven, screamed and backed into the wall. The flames shot upward, starting to create an image. It formed a young woman with long, silky hair and a billowing, elegant dress. The friends could barely make out some tiny scars scattered all over her face. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT!" she shrieked, then, as they screamed bloody murder, she cackled, and dissipated back into the log. "That...was...AWESOME." Cyborg said after a long pause. "Please. Just some cheap effects and a sound system. Pathetic." Raven said, crossing her arms and continuing.  
  
They went upstairs, closely knit together in case of another surprise. Indeed, there was; as they were walking, they came across a corridor that lead to a dead end. The walls were flourished with an ugly mauve paint, chipping away to emphasize how 'old' the house really was. At the end of the hall, 2 twin girls, no older than 6, stood holding hands. They wore very old 1940's style dresses-they were pink with a white bow tied across the middle, and a pink ribbon secured each of their hair. "Come play with us, Titans." they said together, slowly and eerily. "Come play with us...forever....and ever...and ever." Lights suddenly flashed, illuminating the once dark hallway, and when they lit up, the teens saw that blood was splattered messily over the walls and floor. Both the little girls were drenched in red fluid with severe cuts and large tears over their chests and dresses. Everyone screeched in horror, and in a flash, the lights flickered off, and the girls had disappeared. They searched the hall for them with their eyes, but they were gone. "That's it. I am NEVER having kids!" Beast Boy declared, and the others chuckled as they rummaged into an empty room.  
  
It was a bedroom, the sheets on the bed were undone, the torn drapes wafted carelessly in the breeze, and a vanity sat lonely near the window. "Lovely room, isn't it?" someone asked behind them. Starfire visibly jumped and the others turned to see who it was. It was Niles, the British butler form downstairs. "This was the chamber of the late Madeline Wallchester." Beast Boy gulped as Raven shook her head; Beast Boy never could stand his ground when it came to the supernatural, even if it was as fake as this. "Late?" he squeaked. Niles nodded. "Yes, indeed. Passed in this very room, as a matter of fact. 1952. Very vain woman, always concerned with her looks. If I was you, I'd keep out of that vanity." he said, and left the room.  
  
"Perhaps we should try another room...." Starfire said softly. "Aw, c'mon Star, that Niles dude is just trying to scare ya! I mean, seriously, think about it, nothing's gonna happen if I sit here. I'm sure of it." Beast Boy said, and went to sit by the mirror to prove his point. Feeling brave, he began fiddling with the things on the table. All of a sudden, the mirror fogged up, and the blurry vision of an older woman, perhaps in her late 60's, appeared, looking very angry. "You there! Boy! Get away from my things!" she cried, and batted at the glass with her clenched fist. Beast Boy yelped and stumbled backwards, crawling back to the wall where the other Titans were cemented. "I'll teach you to meddle with my things!" Madeline called, and seemingly pulled herself out of the mirror to attack them. Starfire, in fear, grabbed the nearest object she could find for support, which just so happened to be Robin's hand. He felt something lock itself in his fingers, and looked down to see Star's hand entwined with his. He smiled and gave her a little squeeze to know he was there. She looked down, saw him, and smiled back, her terror vanishing. He slipped his fingers out for a moment, only to lace them back in with hers, like the perfect couple would do.  
  
~I never thought I'd do that,  
  
Take me all away,  
  
And let your body stay.~  
  
No one noticed Robin and Starfire; the boys were high on adrenaline and were already venturing back out into the hall and going back where they saw the twins, peeking inside every door possible. When they found those were only props, they continued back downstairs into a refined ballroom. The tables in the corner were set for a banquet, but the food had long since gone bad and had fake insects crawling over them. The room was immense, with a slick wooden floor and a crystal chandelier looming eerily over them. A lone, grand piano sat sagging in the corner. "My mother trained me on the piano for several years. I was quite good. I could have played Carnegie Hall, had it not been for my....accident." Niles said, appearing out of nowhere and sauntering to the large instrument. He lifted the tails of his tuxedo, sat on the stool, and gracefully began to tickle to ivories, playing a classic Beethoven song. The second his fingers touched the keys, gangly green 'ghosts' passed through the walls, dancing together to the sweet melody on the beautiful piano. Starfire yelped softly, but Robin pulled her in closer, their shoulders now touching. Still holding her hand, he gently lead her to where the others were standing. Beast Boy and Cyborg looked a little queasy, but Raven only scoffed.  
  
~Oh, you're gone.  
  
Oh, you're gone.  
  
You're gone,  
  
You're gone to stay.~  
  
Niles concluded his solo, and as quickly as the figures appeared, they vanished into thin air. Niles bowed to them, and in a flash was gone. The Titans stood in awe for a moment, before Beast Boy finally spoke. "Y'know, that guy reminds me of the butler in 'Mr. Deeds.' He is," he said the next part with a crude Puerto Rican accent, "very very sneaky, sir." There was a scattered chuckle from the others, but Raven only groaned as she proceeded to the next room. She found an elevator, and waited for the others there. They joined her, and watched in shock as the buttons lit up all on their own. They could see the numbers indicating the elevator was dropping growing closer and closer. Finally it stopped, and the doors slowly creaked open. A deluge of red fluid poured from the inside, spilling all over the hall and whoever got in its way. Cyborg moaned in disgust and lifted his foot to see the goopy blood-like substance completely covering his shoe. Starfire shrieked as the cold stuff slicked past her ankles. Robin let out a little surprised cry as well, but managed to clench Star's hand tighter, giving her reassurance. Beast Boy screamed in a high pitched voice and leapt 6 feet in the air, landing gracefully (and unknowingly) in Raven's arms, and they held each other Scooby Doo style. Beast Boy smiled, embarrassed, as Raven growled, giving him a scornful look. "Uh heh heh heh, hi?" She promptly dropped him, and he landed with a splash in the red mess beneath him. She pressed on, annoyance glinting in her bright eyes, with the others in tow.  
  
"Ugh, this place is SO utterly pathetic. I have never seen so many crappy effects in my life." She scoffed and leaned against a nearby door in boredom. Suddenly, a shout was heard from behind it, which melded into a loud, strained grunt as an ax came flying through the wood. For the first time, Raven screamed, quite loudly too. She staggered backwards where the others stood, horrified. The ax retreated, only to come down hard 3 more times though the oak. A Jack Nickelson look-alike popped his head through the makeshift hole, grinning maliciously and clutching his weapon menacingly in his hands. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE'S JOHNNY!!!!" he cried, and laughed as the teens screamed in fright. Raven shrieked in a tone the others were sure only dogs could hear, and in fear, jumped up onto Beast Boy's body, her arms pulling his head so it was pressed against her face and her legs both locked around his waist. He quickly grabbed her at the back so he wouldn't topple over under her weight. She was trembling, and her breath came out short and ragged.  
  
"HA! Now who's scared?" Beast Boy said triumphantly, his voice slightly muffled by the dark girl's arm. He pulled his face away from hers so he could look at her, and so she could see his gloating expression. Raven cleared her throat, and typically scoffed, looking at the green boy like he was crazy. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't seem to stop shaking. "Pff, I-I wasn't scared. I was merely STARTLED by the sudden appearance of th-"  
  
"You're still latched onto me." Beast Boy said with a grin.  
  
Raven, realizing what she had done, released the shape shifter and set herself back down on the ground, her head hung in what the others guessed was embarrassment. She quickly paced out of the hall and towards the exit. Beast Boy smiled after her, cleaning his nails on his shirt in victory. "I hope you enjoyed that, cuz that's probably as close to second base as you're EVA gonna get!" Cyborg muttered into his ear, then, laughing, followed Raven in the direction of the door. Beast Boy scowled at him and chased after him, in a weak state of rage. Robin turned to Starfire, who all the while, had not released his hand. "Ready to go?" he asked her. She smiled and nodded, and together they walked out the door, their steps in sync and their tangled hands gently swaying back and forth. Niles greeted them at the exit. "So glad you were able to make it out alive, Masters and Madams. Do come back soon, if you dare." With that, everyone thanked him and went outside, squinting slightly under the new, bright lights that capered all about the fair. "That was FUN! Probably the best Haunted House I've ever been in!" Beast Boy exclaimed happily. "I couldn't sense much of a theme in there, but still really cool!" Cyborg commented. Raven shrugged. "Eh, it was alright." she said simply, but when Beast Boy pretended to imitate the ax-murderer, she cringed and glared at the same time.  
  
~I never thought I'd do that.  
  
Take me all away,  
  
And let your body stay.~  
  
"I really liked it! What about you, Star?" Robin said, turning to the fair- haired girl beside him. "I enjoyed it thoroughly! I believe it is fun to be frightened once so often." she said with a smile. Beast Boy checked his watch, only to look surprised. "Whoa! It's 11! We'd better get home!" he said, and started to make his way in the direction of the Tower. Raven followed, hovering slightly above the soiled ground. Cyborg turned to face the other 2. "Yo, guys, let's get a mo-" but he stopped himself when he saw them, and he couldn't help but snicker a little. "It's ok, guys. The big, bad, scary house is done, there's no reason to be afraid." he said in a babyish tone. Robin looked at him weirdly. "What?" he said in confusion. "Heh, look down." the machine said, suppressing another laugh. As instructed, the teens looked down at the same moment, and tensed up in mild shock of what they saw. They were HOLDING HANDS, a custom only those who were in a relationship did. They were both paralyzed, staring slack-jawed at Starfire's slender, smooth fingers laced with Robin's gloved ones. After a minute or so, they let go at the same time, chuckling nervously and fidgeting in place. "I-I must retrieve the prize you won for me, Robin." Star muttered, and sped off to the entrance of the house, where she left the bear upon entering so it would not be dirtied by the then-unknown contents within. Cyborg stared at Robin with a deviously smile. "Don't say a word." Robin commanded. Cyborg disobeyed the order. "You won her a BEAR?!" he cried, laughing hysterically. Robin glared, but when Starfire returned he stopped, and they all continued after Raven and Beast Boy.  
  
"Finally! What took you guys?" Beast Boy asked when they arrived. "We had to-uh-take care of something." Robin said, shooting Cyborg a look. "Whatever. Let's just go." Raven mumbled, lifted a few feet off the ground. "Man, can't we just take the bus home or something?" Cyborg whined. Raven raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? We'd be wasting our money. Why pay for public transportation when you have the gift of flight?" she replied. Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well incase you hadn't noticed, not ALL of us have that gift." he said, pointing to himself and Robin. "Y'know, I don't really have the energy to stay in a morphed form all the way home. Why not just take the bus then fly to the island when we get to the shore?" Beast Boy suggested. Raven sighed and touched down. "FINE. It doesn't make a difference anyway." She turned to face the approaching bus, which seemed to arrive on cue. They stepped inside, each dropping in some assorted change for the fare, and took the available seats in the back. Cyborg flopped into an empty seat alone, while Beast Boy and Raven sat in the seat behind him. They didn't speak though; Raven was gazing out the window, deep in thought, while Beast Boy had managed to start an argument with Cyborg. Starfire sat in the seat parallel to them, next to the window, and set her prize next to her. She noticed Robin searching the crowd for a place to sit, but none could be found. "Robin!" she called, and he faced her. She patted the remainder of the leather chair she sat in. "There is room here for you." she said, and Robin thankfully sat.  
  
~Oh, you're gone.  
  
Oh, you're gone.  
  
You're gone,  
  
You're gone to stay.~  
  
Starfire yawned, the night out had drained her, and she was glad they were on their way home. She slumped against her bear, in an effort to make herself comfortable. Her head lolled on the bear's immense chest, and she inevitably closed her eyes to rest. It wasn't long before her breath had grown shallow and low. Robin smiled at the sleeping girl, she looked so adorable, he couldn't help it. He watched her until the driver called the last stop-the shore, which was their exit. He didn't want to wake her, but unless she wanted to awaken in a bus depot 30 miles away, he knew he had to. "Star?" he whispered, poking her in the side. She moaned and squeezed her eyes tighter. He gently shook her shoulder, and with this her eyes fluttered open. "C'mon, we're home." he said, his voice mellow and calm. He helped her up and carried her bear for her as she stumbled down the aisle, rubbing her eyes. They stepped off the bus, where a droopy-eyed Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg were waiting. They trekked down to the water, and Raven took off, effortlessly holding the flight-less Cyborg in her arms. Beast Boy changed to a hawk and followed her home. "Think you can give me a lift?" Robin asked the sleepy girl with a smile. She giggled and nodded, locking her arms around his waist. One would think that after all that happened that night that this would be awkward, but, having performed the procedure so many times before, they were both comfortable with it. As she took off, Robin looked up at her and smiled, though it was slightly concealed by the enormous bear. She gazed down at him and smiled back, touching down at the tower entrance with ease. She released him and, still grinning, they entered the tower.  
  
~Oh, Oh.  
  
Oh, Oh,  
  
Oh, Oh,  
  
I need you,  
  
I plead you now!~  
  
~*~ Wow that was a really long chapter! Hope you liked it! Few things-If you may or may not have noticed, I pulled a few things from 'The Shining' in the haunted house scene because its, in my opinion, the scariest movie of all time. Plus, Jack Nickelson ROCKS! ^-^ As I mentioned above, the song is by Weezer, they are awesome, so go buy their cd NOW!! Hehe. Last thing- DID YOU LIKE THE BB/R-NESS?!?! IT WAS FUN!!! WHOO! Ok, you know the drill, review! Thank you! Bye! ~*~ 


	7. The Nearness of You

~*~ Hi again! Let me just say I'm sorry, I uploaded the wrong document last night..SORRY!!! I bet you're thinking WHOA! How'd she get the chapter up so fast? Actually, you're probably not thinking that, but I'll tell you anyway. Truth be told, I already wrote almost this entire chapter. I originally wanted to put it in chapter 3, but I thought it was WAY too big a step to take so soon, so I saved it and put it in a new document and promised myself to use it later. Yup, that's it ^-^ Also, for those of you curious, the girl from the carnival is NOT the OC I made up for Cyborg. I just thought sticking her in would be funny. I JUST SAW NEVERMORE!!!! OMG!!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!!! I loved all of Raven's sides, her happy one was just so cute! And did you see all of the BB/R hints!! AGH IT WAS GREAT!! Stupid Cyborg interrupted their 'moment' in the mirror. *growls* I must admit, tho, I was a little disappointed when Robin switched on the romantic movie and Starfire wanted to check on Raven. I was like "COULD YOU PLEASE BE SELFISH FOR ONE SECOND?! STOP CARING ABOUT OTHERS AND SNUGGLE WITH HIM ALREADY!!!" Hehe, lot of fun quotes in that episode, like when Raven randomly burst out laughing and Starfire said, "I am not fully accustomed with your Earth ways yet, but that was..just plain freaky, correct?" MAJOR kudos to Tara Strong, Raven's V/A, on a brilliant job. I love her, she's so great ^-^ Well, I could ramble on about the show for hours, so let's press on before I do. Oh yeah, there's a song in this chapter, too. (I know it's weird to put 2 songs in a row, but like I said, this was written WAY before.) It's by Norah Jones, and it's really pretty. It reminds me of my ex-boyfriend, but in a good way, not in the he-dumped-me-while-I-was-on- vacation-through-email-and-then-played-2-of-my-close-friends way. *growls* Grr, he annoys me, feel free to torch his house. *grins and hold up flamethrower* Anywho, here's your chapter, fresh from my mind to your screen! ~*~  
  
"Ok, so if you were trapped in a cave with a sword, a hungry lion, or a cliff, which would you choose to kill yourself with?" Cyborg looked up at the green boy like he just told him he was gay. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked him. Beast Boy shrugged. "Dunno. Just making conversation." he said nonchalantly. Raven, from across the room, rolled her eyes and shook her head. She turned back to the boys, a warm cup of herbal tea resting in her hands. "Where did Robin and Starfire go?" she inquired, sipping casually at the hot liquid. "They said something about going on a walk, which I think is code for SEEEEEEEEX!" Cyborg joked. It wasn't long before Raven's beverage had found its way directly to Cyborg's lap, and he leapt up screaming in pain as he swatted away the hot mixture, panicking. "AH! MY MANHOOD!" he shouted, and rubbed his scalding legs as the tea slid gracefully down his metal exterior. "It slipped." Raven said innocently, glancing upward. Beast Boy laughed loudly. "I've said it before and I'll say it again; what IS it with you and the sexual innuendos?!"  
  
Night had fallen, bringing with it thousands of tiny diamonds sparkling off in the distance. On the rooftop, Robin and Starfire were strolling together in silence. They both stopped at a bench and sat together, their thighs bumping into each other. "Sorry." they both said at the same time, and then both giggled nervously. Crickets sang their symphony as a lone cloud drifted over the tower. "So, what do you want to do?" Robin asked after a long pause. Starfire smiled a little and looked up with her pea green eyes sparkling. "Well, there is something I had longed to do for some time now.." she whispered timidly. Robin looked over at her and leaned in, anxious to hear what it was. "I..I do not know how to dance." she said with a bashful grin. Robin tugged at his collar uneasily and coughed.  
  
"Oh-uh...I'm not very..good at it-and there's metal tips on my shoes, you know, as a warning. I've kinda got 2 left feet." Starfire furrowed her brow curiously and leaned over to peer down at the soles of his shoes. "Your feet both seem to be proportioned, and if they were both left, would you not walk in circles?" she solicited. Robin chuckled softly. "No, it's an expression, Star. It means I can't dance very well. And I don't want to hurt you, you know, by stepping on your feet." he answered. Starfire nodded, her facial features accepting the answer, but her eyes said something entirely different. They were terribly disappointed, with the lost glint of hope she possessed just a moment ago. They lost some of their luster, and it made you feel horrible just looking in them. He couldn't stand it, it drove him crazy. Robin rose, cleared his throat, and extended his hand. "You know, old habits can be broken. Starfire, would you like to dance?" he asked elegantly. She looked up brightly and nodded, accepting his hand and let him gently lead her to a more open area.  
  
He took both of her hands for a second, and muttered to her, "Wait right here." He sped off to the Tower wall, where, conveniently, a stereo had been installed. He hit play, not caring what song was on and returned to her. He stood in front of her, awkwardly holding his hands out to guide her. "Ok, so you put your arms-uh-on my back, just slip them under my arms." She did so, and reddened somewhat at the position she held him in. Robin gulped audibly and uncomfortably held his arms out to size up however he was to hold her. "Ok, good..now I...put my hands on your hips..." He thought by saying it out loud he would be able to command his body to obey him. His theory backfired. "On your hips." he repeated. Still nothing. "That's where they go-on your hips...there...yup..hips..that's where they go." He slowly brought them down and settled them on her narrow waist. He seemed to relax once he did so, and loosed up in her arms. Perfectly timed, the song began to play.  
  
~It's not the pale moon, that excites me,  
  
That thrills, and delights me~  
  
He kindly swayed her to the mellow beat of the music. They were silent for a moment, before Star winced as Robin stepped on her foot, as predicted. He flushed a little and looked down at her feet. "Sorry...I told you I was bad at this." he said with a half-hearted smirk. She looked up at him and giggled. "It is alright. In all fairness, you did warn me, after all." His arms instinctively tightened around her slender form, protecting her from any interference. He felt her finger with his cape, and he smiled.  
  
~ Oh no,  
  
It's just the nearness of you.~  
  
Starfire tightened her grasp on Robin, her hands now resting backwards on his shoulders. Robin rubbed his thumb along Starfire's exposed curves. Star could feel her heart pounding in her chest, banging greatly, she was sure Robin could hear it. Robin, on the other hand, was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he could barely realize Starfire was there. "I am such an idiot, I'm doing this all wrong, she's never gonna wanna see me again! How can I possibly screw something so simple up? I'm such a..." Then he looked down at her, bathing in the soft moonlight, her eyes shimmering like 2 emeralds, and realized how beautiful she really was.  
  
And he stopped thinking completely.  
  
~It isn't your sweet conversation,  
  
That brings this sensation,  
  
Oh no, its just the nearness of you.~  
  
Starfire, gazing up into Robin's masked eyes, found she felt something she had not felt in so, so long. She felt at home. It didn't matter where she was, as long as he held her in his arms, she was safe from anything. She rested her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes, envisioning what it would be like to stay that way forever. Robin pulled her in closer, afraid if he let go she would vanish. He gently combed the tips of her red hair with one of his gloved hands. She was so close, everything was so perfect, he thought it was all a dream, a fluke in his subconscious. He inhaled, hoping to take in every last essence of this moment to keep with him. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the top of hers.  
  
~When you're in my arms,  
  
And I feel you so close to me,  
  
All my wildest dreams come true.~  
  
Starfire and Robin were very close now, as close as 2 people could dance. They stilled swayed to the sweet melody, when Starfire surprised Robin by pulling her head away from him. Her vision blurred, and everything seemed to spin, the only true thing remaining being Robin, and the way he held her so tenderly, how he smiled at her gazing at him, how wonderful he was. The one feature that struck her was his mask, and she found herself slightly perturbed staring into it. Eyes, to her, were a window to the soul; you could know a person's entire life, their hopes, dreams, desires, all by a glance inside. It was her deep desire to know what Robin was thinking, to get a peek inside his mind, even for a moment. But the black and white v- shaped cloth created a barricade, and she feared she'd never know. Unintentionally, she somehow blurt out, "What color are they?" Robin raised an eyebrow curiously. "What color are what?" he replied. Starfire mentally kicked herself, she had to carry through with the conversation now, it had begun and there was no way to turn back. "Your eyes." she said, hiding the hint of eagerness in her voice. "As long as I have known you, you have worn your mask, and not removed it once. I have always been curious of the color of the eyes hidden behind it."  
  
Robin smiled at her, her inquisitiveness was one of her many adorable features. "Oh, is that all? Well, I can tell you, they're....um...they're...uh-I think they are..." The words escaped him, and he wracked his brain for the answer to the question, but try as he may, he could not find it. His smile crooked, embarrassed. "Heh, as weird as this is, I-erm-can't remember. I guess I've had my mask on for so long I just, well, forgot." Starfire giggled and pulled herself in closer to him. He smiled back, but it faded a little as he thought of something. "Hey..why don't you tell me?" Slowly, he lifted an arm away from her waist, and brought it to his face. Gingerly, he pealed away the mask, his eyes squeezed shut the entire time. It stung, like removing a band-aid, but he didn't really mind. When he finished, his eyes remained closed, and he wrapped his arm back around Starfire's slender form, the mask balled up in his fist. Starfire noticed a faint white outline of where the mask used to be. And his eyes flickered open.  
  
It was as if the entire world was dark and bleak until that very moment, and then luminosity streamed outward to enlighten the world and all who resided in it. Starfire found herself staring into 2 perfect blue eyes, a priceless pair of flawless sapphires, a cloudless sky trapped inside Robin's head. She was breathless. After a pause, Robin could wait no longer. "So, what color are they, cuz, in case you haven't guessed, I can't see them." he whispered jokingly, and crossed his eyes in a mock effort to literally try to see them. Starfire giggled, but quickly found herself drowning in the ocean that was Robin. "They are blue." she muttered, awe etched in her voice. "A pristine, incredible blue...that could have no equivalent on this Earth." Robin smiled and breathed deeply, pulling, if it were possible, Starfire in even closer than before. Their bodies were pressing gently against each other's, and without realizing it, Robin leaned his head towards Starfire, resting his forehead on hers. She closed her eyes, adjusting her head until they were cheek-to-cheek, and thanked God for creating someone so amazingly wonderful.  
  
~I need no soft lights  
  
To enchant me.  
  
If you would only grant me~  
  
It was magic, the 2 of them together. Nothing would ever be able to separate them, and even if some evil scheme plotted by an insane villain managed to pull them apart physically, it would not matter, because the bond between them was a powerful, unspeakable force that could not be broken by any means.  
  
~The right,  
  
To hold you ever so tight~  
  
A lone breeze swept Starfire's long, blazing hair, enveloping them like a thick, soft red blanket. Robin felt her mellifluous tresses graze against his cheek, and he smiled. At that moment, life was perfect. There were no wars, no sadness, no pain, simply him and Starfire holding each other, and dancing.  
  
~And to feel in the night~  
  
Robin tilted his head back, and with that her olive eyes opened. They were like glimmering pieces of sea glass washed along the shore, catching the attention of the bright sunshine only making it sparkle more. Their breathes were linked, tangled together in an invisible mess. Starfire soaked up even possible ounce of the moment, especially the cerulean gems cast in Robin's face. She took those in most of all, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind she would never see them again. She sighed, it was a pessimistic thought, and it was a shame. "You really have beautiful eyes, Robin. It is sad you do not show them more often." she divulged unwillingly, but at that moment, she didn't care. He deserved to know. Robin said nothing and moved his hand to the back of her head, holding her and gently fingering her mane.  
  
~The nearness of you~  
  
The song concluded after a classic piano break, but neither broke away. They remained, close as possible, staring deeply into the other's eyes. No words were spoken, but it was not uncomfortable, the silence was the only appropriate sound that could have been made. Starfire finally whispered something so faint it could barely be heard, but it reached Robin's ears with ease. "Robin, do you believe in destiny?"  
  
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The moment was shattered by the deafening explosion erupting from the kitchen. Robin and Starfire were shook apart from the quakes emitted inside the tower, and they both could see a torrent of smoke billowing out of the downstairs window.  
  
"What the hell did you do?!" they heard Cyborg scream.  
  
"Me?! Why are you blaming me?!" Beast Boy shouted in reply.  
  
"Because you were the only one in the KITCHEN, you idiot!" Raven uncharacteristically shrieked.  
  
"Ok, all I did was turn on the gas to heat up some food, and the nail polish remover was sitting there RAVEN-"  
  
"Oh and so now it's my fault?!"  
  
"You are the only one who wears the stuff! Black counts! Anyway, it was open and I guess it spilled..." Beast Boy's voice trailed off, but Cyborg's compensated for it.  
  
"YOU JUST LEFT IT THERE?! ARE YOU BRAINDEAD OR SOMETHING?! WE ALL COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"  
  
"But the bottle said 'inflammable,' so I thought it was ok!"  
  
"AUGH! You dense monkey-child! Just because you put and 'in' in front of it DOES NOT mean it's safe!!!" Raven screamed at the top of her lungs.  
  
There was a pause, then a 'smack' could be heard as Beast Boy slapped himself with both hands on his forehead, clutching his head. "OH MY GOD! YOU MEAN 'INFLAMMABLE' AND 'FLAMMABLE' ARE THE SAME THING?!?!" Though it could not be seen, Robin and Starfire both knew Raven and Cyborg had toppled over at Beast Boy's thickness. "Guess we should go help them out." Robin said half-heartedly upon rising. Starfire stood up as well, brushing off the tiny clouds of dust that had gathered on her clothes. They walked to the gaping new hole in the tower, and as they walked, Robin neatly stuck his mask back over his eyes. Starfire did manage to steal a last glance of them before he hid them forever and sighed, disappointed. She looked over at the boy, smiling, recalling everything they had just done. Robin sensed the presence of eyes fixated on him, and faced her. She shifted her gaze downward sheepishly, her cheeks flushing. He laughed and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. She looked up at it, beamed, and stopped to look at its owner. Another moment of silence as they stood smiling together. Starfire was the one to break the contest. "Perhaps we should go and help them, it is uncertain of what Beast Boy will do next." she giggled and jumped down the gaping hole in the tower. Robin watched after her, grinning, and followed.  
  
~*~ YAY! 1 down, 4 to go! Ah I'm so excited! You guys will LOVE the ending, I can guarantee ^-^ About Robin's eyes, I really have no idea what color they are. Blue was just my hunch, if I'm wrong, well, oh well. I really hope you liked this chapter! Please review! Thank you! See ya around! ~*~ 


	8. So close, yet so far

~*~ HOO-RAH FOR REVIEWS! WHOO! Hehe, thanks you guys! That was so nice! THANK YOU! *throws cookies to everyone* I just thought I'd warn you, school starts September 4th, so I won't be able to get the chapters up as rapidly as I do now. This one's up because I'm totally drained from volleyball and want to do nothing else....volleyball WILL kill me, mark my word ^-~ And if it doesn't, you will at the end of this chapter! You're going to HATE me, but it must be written!! I'm not saying anything yet, buuuuuuuuut, hehe, you'll just have to see...so see it now!!~*~  
  
"Robin, do you believe in destiny?" Starfire's sweet voice echoed through his mind. He smiled at the memory. Robin replayed the entire night in his head, recording every detail perfectly. Had he only had a few more seconds, just a few, who knows what he could have done? He closed his eyes, reclining back into the chair, and envisioned every possibility. "Yo? Rob? Is anybody in there? Hello?" Beast Boy's abrupt snapping fingers awoke Robin from his musing trance. He blinked several times, then saw the image of his 2 guy friends staring expectantly at him. "Well, what do you think?" Beast Boy asked, leaning in eagerly to hear his answer. Robin smiled bashfully. "Hehe, what was the question again?" he said pathetically. Beast Boy groaned as Cyborg slapped his forehead. "I SAID who do you think would win in a fight, big-foot or the Loch Ness Monster?" the green boy repeated. Robin sighed and hung his head; THIS was the urgency that had to rip him away from his thoughts. "I'm not even gonna justify that with an answer." he muttered.  
  
"You've been really out-of-it all night, man. What's on your mind?" Cyborg questioned. Robin's eyes darted off in all directions, ricocheting off the walls like a rubber ball. "Uh, nothing in particular. Just stuff." he said convincingly. "By 'nothing' are you referring to your little escapade with Starfire last night?" Cyborg joked, a sly look etched in his features. Robin looked offended and raised a finger to object, but sighed and left it to wither back into his hand. "Yeah, yeah." Beast Boy laughed and leaned in interested, the previous topic long forgotten. "So, are you 2, you know, an 'item?'" he created air quotes with the word 'item.' Robin sadly shook his head. "No, unfortunately, we're kinda in a weird phase thingy. I don't know WHAT we are, but we're not, y'know, dating." he replied. Beast Boy rolled his eyes and moaned. "I don't get it. You 2 are practically attached at the hip, you have all those fluffy goo-goo 'moments,' and you flirt like CRAZY!! PLEASE explain to me how you're not going out!!" he cried, his eyes wide in over exaggeration. "I dunno, Beast, its just, well, it's-" Cyborg cut him off. "No no no no no! Don't say the C-word man! Don't say it! NO!" "-complicated." Robin concluded with a funny little smirk. "GAH you said it! All hope is lost!" Cyborg said over dramatically, putting the back of his wrist at his forehead and pretending to wipe away tears. Robin whipped a pillow at him.  
  
"So, wait, lemme get this straight...you and Starfire are both head-over- heals for each other, but you don't go out? Man! This is like some cheap teen soap opera! Next thing you know Raven's gonna waltz in here and tell us she's pregnant!" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing his arms wildly outward. As if on cue, Raven slowly strolled into the den, a look of worry and fear carved in her delicate face. She stopped in front of the boys, tentatively holding her palms over her stomach. "Guys," she whispered, fright wavering in her voice. "There's something I have to tell you...." The boys' jaws dropped to the floor, eyes the size of watermelons. Beast Boy leapt up and grabbed his head, ripping out 2 large clumps of his green hair. "OH MY GOD! IT'S STARTED! WE'RE ALL DOOMED!! DOOMED!!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!" he sprinted out of the room screaming, his arms floundered madly behind him. The boys still stared in shock at the dark girl, and then they saw something far scarier then anything they had ever seen before. Raven LAUGHED. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut to prevent tiny beads of tears to slip out and slapped her thighs as she cackled somewhat evilly. Robin and Cyborg were VERY afraid and slowly began to inch their way out of the room. Raven opened her eyes and quelled her fits, taking in deep breaths. "I'm sorry, but I just HAD to do that." she explained. The boys were slack-jawed; Raven had a sense of humor? Could the apocalypse really be THAT close?  
  
Starfire skipped merrily into the room and stopped at the couch, planting her elbows in the soft back cushion and leaning in towards Robin's direction. "Hey, Star!" he greeted with a beam, and she smiled back in reply. "Are you prepared to leave, Robin? Our engagements for tonight are still in tact, correct?" He smiled and nodded, getting up on his feet. He walked around the couch and guided her out with a hand on her back. "Of course we are, when I told you I wanted to hang out I meant it." he said sweetly. "Pff, yeah, what else did you wanna do?" Cyborg murmured from the couch, smirking. Robin shot him a look over his shoulder, his eyes prepared to shoot daggers. "Did you say something, Cyborg?" the alien asked, and turned back to the mechanical boy lounging on the sofa. Robin quickly spun her back around and led her out the door. "He didn't say anything important, Star. Let's just go." he said, and the 2 vanished in the blackness of the hallway. Cyborg cupped his hands over his mouth and called out to them. "Have fun you 2! And remember, always use protec-" Raven lifted a hand and sent a glass vase careening en route for Cyborg, where it crashed and shattered against his head. "OW!!" he yelped, rubbing a new red spot painted on his mocha skin. Raven stifled another laugh and ventured into the kitchen.  
  
The agenda tonight for Robin and Starfire was not a glamorous one. They entered her room to talk, to have a normal conversation of normal teenage things because they both had normal teenage lives. So why weren't either of them saying anything? Robin used the silence to absorb his surroundings. They sat on an incredible queen bed, with soft, nearly invisible lavender canopies draped over the mahogany poles. The head was covered by an immense amount of white, fluffy pillows, and the light purple sheets were folded neatly over the lilac comforter. The walls were concealed with faint amethyst and white vertically stripped paper with a matching baby purple soft, fuzzy rug nailed to the floor. An oak desk resided against a wall, a leather covered thick notebook which read "Property of Starfire" sat innocently on the smooth surface. A single daisy was held in a shapely glass vase, filled to the brim with water. Parallel to the desk was a small white love seat, where an enormous, vaguely familiar stuffed bear happily rested. He was not the only inanimate animal in the room-Robin was pretty sure there were close to hundreds spread neatly throughout her chamber, filling in every nook and cranny. He noticed about 4 full-length mirrors side-by-side, one was creaked open a tad to reveal it to be a closet, where inside about 15 identical versions of her outfit hanging in a row. There was a large easy chair he could have swore was in the living room a few months ago, and a small legless, pillar-like nightstand with a small tube of mint frosting idly lying on it. In the far corner of the room, he saw a bathroom, shuddering slightly at the memory. The floor was alternating black and white tiles leading to a white porcelain sink with a matching toilet and bathtub. The tub was accentuated with silver knobs and a shower head, and a few scattered towels were sprawled out over them. Robin did not expect a girl's room to be so...bright.  
  
He couldn't stand the silence anymore, it was about to drive him up the color-coordinated wall. "Say, Star, who would you think would win in a fight, Big-Foot or the Loch Ness Monster?" She looked at him quizzically. "What is a 'Big-Foot?'" she asked with a cocked head. Robin hung with head, that was a stupid idea to begin with, he had no idea why he even said it. "No one. Just forget it." he muttered. Another awkward silence, this time Starfire would be the one to end it. "Robin, there is something I have been meaning to tell you." His ears perked up in interest, and he lifted his head to get a full view of her. "Earth is....a new place for me, and it is not unnatural for me to become confused. Others get annoyed by my constant questioning, but..." she paused and looked up at him with a sweet little smile. "You have always been there for me...you never hesitate to explain something. It-well, I-what I mean to say is...thank you. You have no idea what it means to me." Robin smiled back and rested a hand atop hers on the edge of the bed. "No problem, Star, I mean, what are friends for?" She giggled infectiously and locked her eyes in his, dreaming of the beautiful jewels he hid. He smiled brightly, but it gradually began to diminish, until it completely vanished as he stared at her. He was entranced by her, something was pulling him so strongly he could not get away.  
  
"You're beautiful." he whispered, his eyes remaining plastered to her flawless face. Robin felt no regret after he uttered those choice words, he did not shy away in embarrassment, he did not chuckle nervously, he did not scream and run out the door in horror, he remained impassive, his eyes fixated permanently on her face. Starfire stared at him for a moment in shock, then smiled and glanced down, breathing a laugh. Her breath was soft and weak. "I-I have never..had anyone....tell me that." she murmured, smiling at the floor. Robin's eyes did not falter and kept their vigil on her. He scooted in slightly closer to her. "Well, it's true. I've always thought so."  
  
She looked up and her emerald eyes locked with his, and her smile began to slowly slide away from her face as she was hypnotized by him. "I-I am not entirely certain how to react." she confessed, and slid her body nearer to Robin's. "How would you react on your planet?" he asked her, and with this she grinned slightly. "If I were to react the way I would on my home planet, you would run away screaming." she giggled, and he laughed a little with a half-smile playing with the corner of his mouth.  
  
She stopped, and took a deep breath. "There...there is another way..I saw it....in one of your movies once." She crept in closer to him, and mentally squealed when she noticed he did the same. "How is that?" he questioned her, completely spellbound. Starfire began to lean in towards Robin, and she raised her hand until it was caught in the charcoal mess that was his hair. "Well, it is something..." Robin cupped her cheek with his palm and drew her in closer to his lips. ".....like..." Their faces were so close they could pick out every detail in each other's features, yet they still drew in. "....this....." She closed her eyes and let her instincts take over, her lips slightly pursed in readied position. Time stood still, the moment was increasing in intensity, the passion mounting higher with each passing second. They were so close, a mere inch separated his lips from hers. In a second, pure bliss would be theirs, and he stoked her high cheekbone as they drew in to...  
  
Cyborg exploded through the door, shattering the moment in a thousand pieces. Alarmed by his presence, Starfire shrieked and toppled backwards on her bed, landing in an Indian style position. Robin yelped a cry or surprise, and much to his dismay, leapt 3 feet in the air and crash landed head first into the bed. His feet unintentionally flipped over his head and he spiraled off, hitting the ground with a loud THUD, dragging half the sheets with them. Cyborg looked at them in bewilderment. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously. Robin scoffed in an attempt to look normal. "Resting." he replied coolly from his upside-down position. Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Do you ALWAYS rest sprawled half off the bed?" Robin groaned in annoyance. "Yeeeeeess." "What is it you would like, Cyborg?" Starfire's voice came out odd, it was ever cheerful and perky as usual, but had a hint of scorn and hate, and he couldn't figure out why. He hooked a thumb in the direction of the kitchen. "Just wanted to tell ya Robin has dish duty." he said. Robin moaned and flipped his legs back over his head, rolling backwards into a normal position, and rose to his feet. He brushed off his clothes and walked to the door. "Fine. I'm going....Star?" He into her disappointed jade eyes longingly, then sighed and leaned against her doorframe. "I'll see ya around." he muttered half-heartedly, and reluctantly exited the room. Cyborg watched him leave curiously, then averted his attention back to Starfire. She sat hunched over the bed, her hands neatly folded in between her legs, glaring menacingly at him. "Uh..did I interrupt something?" he asked sincerely. Starfire placed her hands behind her back and strolled to the door, heal to toe, one foot infront of the other. She stopped abruptly and stared him directly in his real and enhanced eye. "Cyborg, I am not entirely certain of this phase's meaning, but, being an Earth native, I am certain YOU will know....you SUCK." With one swift, quick motion, she slammed the door in his face and locked it tightly, leaving him staring confused at the door.  
  
~*~ Are you all ripping your hair out and screaming "WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYY?!?!?!?!" right now? Hehe, good, that's what I was aiming for. Please, don't hurt me! .::put on WW2 helmet and dives into trench::. I'M JUST AN AUTHOR!!! I DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER!!! Please review!!! I hope you liked it, anyway. To reiterate, review!!! Please!!! Thank you, buh-bye!!! ^-~ ~*~ 


	9. Crimson cheeks and rosy lips

~*~ *pats body up and down, then squeals* I'M ALIVE!!! YOU DIDN'T KILL ME!!! YAY!!! Thanks again for the reviews! ^-^ Oh yeah, if you want battle scenes and stuff, I have one thing to say- I-Suck-At-Fight-Sequences. Hehe, yeah, there's gonna be some in the next fic and a LOT in the 3rd, but for now, I'm just writing like they're normal teenagers chilling and stuff. Ok! Again, I apologize for the length between my updates, school, ya know? (I had a history test on the second day!! Test! DAMN YOU HONORS COURSES!) I just saw "Switched!" It was good! Raven and Starfire are friends! YAY! The next one looks exciting, too, they both fall in love with Aqualad, hehe Robin and Beast Boy are gonna be jealous...muahaha...at least I hope ^-^ I just got back from my volleyball game (we won :D) and since my dad's too lazy to drive me to my friend's house *rolls eyes* I get to write! Which isn't a bad thing, cuz I REALLY wanna write this ^-^ I'm excited! 3 more to go!!! Eeee!! Hehe, you'll like this!! ~*~  
  
Robin, as one could imagine, was SEETHING. It was the next day, and Cyborg couldn't figure out why Robin had not breathed a word to him. He occasionally saw him skulking about the Tower, but whenever he trotted over for a quick convo, he sped off in the opposite direction groaning loudly. Growing annoyed with his best bud's odd behavior, he decided to confront him on exactly what was up. He entered the lounge around noon time, where Beast Boy was watching a cheesy 70's horror film, Raven shrouded herself behind a book, and Robin sunk deeply into the heavily cushioned sofa, his arms crossed in anger. Cyborg was certain he saw steam leaking from his ears. Starfire, however, was nowhere to be found.  
  
Robin noticed Cyborg's immense form looming in the doorway and growled under his breath, bearing his teeth from the corner of his mouth. His mask was reduced to 2 black lines as he glared at him, and he stomped out of the chair and stormed into the kitchen. Beast Boy and Raven did not mind, but Cyborg chased after him, catching his arm when they reached the counter. "Yo, dude, why aren't you talking to me?" he asked as he restrained him. Robin let out a curling groan from the back of his throat, and spoke in a low, menacing voice. "Leave.Me.Alone." he muttered, and tore his arm away, but Cyborg nipped his shoulder and whirled him around to face him. "Heh, so you're talking to me again." he said with a smile, but when Robin groaned and tried to pull away he tightened his grip. "Man, I'm sorry, ok?! I'm really sorry! The last thing I want is you pissed at me, and I'm SORRY! Now can you PLEASE tell me what I'm apologizing FOR?!" he cried, shaking the boy slightly.  
  
Robin softened, but very little, and still kept his angry expression on. "You really wanna know?" he asked gruffly. Cyborg nodded like a child who was just offered candy and loosened his hold on his arms. Robin rubbed the sore spots with the tips of his fingers, but remained impassive. "How bad was the dish situation last night?" he asked coldly. Cyborg stared at him weirdly for a second before letting out an answer. "Uh...I guess minimal, nothing like a code red alert or anything.." "Oh REALLY?! How INTERESTING of you to say that!" Robin snipped. Cyborg was confused. "Um....what?" he asked, scratching his head.  
  
Robin inhaled, repressing his inner rage, and continued. "So, you know, as a buddy, you didn't THINK to just screw the schedule and do something NICE for your FRIEND?!" the rage was seeping out through his pores, slowly filling the entire room like poisonous gas. "I still don't get it." the robot replied. Robin moaned and slapped his forehead, leaving a tiny red mark. "YOU IDIOT! You didn't think I may have had something a LITTLE more important to attend to?! HMM?!" He was eye to eye with him, poking his chest with an accusing finger. Cyborg's eyes widened with a thought. "OH GOOD GOD!!! DID YOU BANG HER?!?!" he screeched louder than necessary. Robin screamed in annoyance and grabbed his friend with both hands by the collar, thrusting him back and forth vigorously. "NO! YOU SICK, TWISTED BASTARD! EVERYTHING DOES NOT EQUAL SEX!!!!!" Robin bellowed in response, his voice echoing off the walls. Beast Boy and Raven, stunned and confused by these words, poked their head into the kitchen with concern. Robin glanced over at them and plastered on a fake smile, releasing a terrified Cyborg from around the neck. "Oh, hiya guys!" he said cheerily, nudging Cyborg to play along. "We were just rehearsing a play! Yeah! It's called...uh... 'Did-You- Bang-Her-No-You-Sick-Twisted-Bastard-Everything-Does-Not-Equal-Sex.' Hehe, charity work." he said with a tremendously phony grin. Raven and Beast Boy exchanged glances, shrugged, and eying them suspiciously, returned to their business.  
  
Robin turned back to Cyborg, the smile eerily running away from his face. His neck cracked, which only frightened Cyborg more. "Dude, if you go psycho on me I will MIGHTILY flip out." he stammered as he backed into the table. Robin seemed to calm down, and lost the insane killing-rampage glint in his eye. "We didn't do ANYTHING, which is precisely the problem." he mumbled, propping his elbows up on the countertop. Noticing his friend's confused look, he explained. "When you walked in....we were literally THIS close," he held up his thumb and index finger to indicate the tiny space between them, "to...well...KISSSSSSSING." he sighed and let his head drop to the top. Cyborg stared at him in bewilderment, feeling a pang of guilt strike the back of his neck. "What?" he harshly whispered. Robin said nothing. "You're serious?" he questioned. He took Robin's low moan for an answer. He had no words, and instead burst out into laughter. "YOU....WERE...ABOUT...TO..KISS...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!" he wheezed out in gasps. Robin scoffed and began to leave. "I don't need this. I'm meeting Star." he muttered. Cyborg stopped guffawing and paused, gazing at the boy in shock. "Whoa, hold on, back up here, what did you just say?" Robin turned back to him. "I'm meeting Star, what?" he asked nonchalantly. It was now Cyborg who slapped his forehead. "Ok, ok, lemme get this straight-you and Star were one second away from kissing before I-" he stopped and chuckled nervously when he saw Robin's deadly glare, "Before you were interrupted, and now you're just gonna hang out again like nothing happened? Isn't it awkward? Uncomfortable? Or SOMETHING?!"  
  
Robin arched an eyebrow and shook his head. "Noooooo.." he said quietly. Cyborg smirked and shook his head. "Man, you've got the real thing." he muttered, chuckling to himself. Robin cocked a head in confusion. "I've got what?" he questioned. Cyborg looked up and slowly made his way over to him as he spoke. "You've got the REAL thing. I thought it was just some little puppy-dog crush you developed cuz she's HOT, but I really think you truly, deeply, utterly love her." he repressed another laugh, he had no idea why he acted like a 3 year old whenever he said the word 'love.' Robin glared again. "Well, it could have been something more if YOU-" "Stop telling yourself that." Cyborg said as he cupped a hand over Robin's mouth, stopping the flow of words. "You're not convincing me and I'm pretty sure you're not convincing yourself either." Robin looked confused. "Why are you blaming me for some little accident? Nothing has obviously changed. What? Are you too scared to make a move? So, what, you've gotta cling to this idea that I ruined everything between you and all hope is lost forever? Cuz that's not the case." Robin looked at him, shocked on how insightful he could be. Cyborg removed his hand from across Robin's mouth. "You have something special here, Rob. Do something about it. Use it or lose it, and her." With that he exited, leaving Robin to ponder what he had just said.  
  
"Robin! That was most entertaining! Please tell another!" Starfire squealed in laughter. She sat crossed legged on her bed, laughing uncontrollably at Robin's latest joke, and taking another bite from her candy bar. Various assorted treats were spread across the mattress they rested on, mostly junk foods and sweets, they had decided to have an impromptu picnic in her room that day. Though they had been 'dining' for a relatively short time, nearly all the treats were gone. Robin smiled at her and took a swig of his root beer.  
  
"Ok, ok, I got one...so this lady walks into a bar with a goose on a leash. The bartender looks at her weirdly and says, "Hey, why did you bring your pig in here?" The lady stares at him and says intelligently, "Excuse me, but I believe this is a goose." The bartender then turns to her and says, "Excuse ME, but I believe I was talking to the goose.""  
  
Starfire fell back into her pillows, laughing hysterically and occasionally wiping away tiny tears that escaped her eyes. After a moment or so, she composed herself and, though still giggling, returned to her Indian-style sitting position. "I enjoy hearing these humorous tales of yours, Robin. They are very amusing." she said with a sigh. Robin smiled and shook his head, everyone else thought his jokes were tired and overused, but Starfire laughed no matter how corny they were. "One of her many perks, I suppose." he mused to himself. Starfire unwrapped a Rolo and popped the sweet candy into her mouth, tossing the golden wrapper carelessly aside. "Thank you for bringing the delectable treats of sweetened condensed sugar, Robin. They are delicious!" she exclaimed, her teeth slightly stuck together by the caramel insides of her candy. Robin smiled in return and let his eyes travel to the space between the two. Starfire had mindlessly been sipping her soda, but when she saw Robin was mesmerized by something, glanced down to see what it was as well. Between them, amidst the discarded wrappers and faint chocolate smudges, lay one single chocolate bar, the last one left. They exchanged a "Bring it on" glance, and both hands shot for the candy. Robin's reflexes were much quicker, however, and he snatched up the bar with ease and held it over his head victoriously. Starfire groaned and reached over to steal it away, but he only pulled it further from her grasp. Neither could help but smile.  
  
"Robin! You have eaten more than a Clybordian Muckle Worm! It is only fair for me to devoir the jubilant junk food!" she mock-whined with a giggle, reaching for the candy once again. Robin held it out of her reach and laughed. "No way, Star! You're not getting it that easy!" he cried, and jumped off the bed and made a break for the door. Starfire floated up and zipped after him, and the chase was on. For about five minutes, she chased him in circles around her room, both laughing joyfully at the game. After a while, he flopped back on the bed in his original position, slightly panting, and Starfire joined him, her legs crossed and her elbows resting on her knees, her head lolling in her palms in defeat. Robin grinned and put his hands behind his back, hiding the candy bar from view. "You reeeeeeeeeeally want the candy?" he taunted. Starfire perked up. "Yes!" she cried excited. "You reeeeeally want it?" he mocked again. Starfire was getting a little annoyed. "Yes!" she repeated. "Are you suuuuuuuure-" "YES! I would like the candy bar Robin! Stop teasing!" she shouted and tried to snatch the bar again, but Robin restrained her. After she was back in her sitting spot, he hid his hands once again. "Ok, I'll make you a deal-you guess which hand I have the candy bar in, and you can have it." he said sweetly with a smile. Starfire grinned in reply and giggled a little. "You make it too easy." she laughed, and leaned in towards him, her arm curled around his form to point to the hand of her choice. She hadn't even realized how close her face was to his.  
  
And that's when he kissed her.  
  
It was very subtle, very soft. He only brushed his lips gently against her full, rosy ones for a split second. He merely leaned in the same moment as she and tenderly pressed his lips to hers and pulled away. Some would barely even call it a real kiss. Starfire stared at him, her lips parted in shock and her breathing shallow. They sat in silence for what seemed like eternity, intently looking into each other's eyes in bewilderment. Robin broke the stare and his eyes widened in realization of what he had just done. His face darkened with a deep scarlet and he bowed his head and sped out of the room. "I-I must go." he muttered and disappeared out of her door. Starfire watched him go, and after the door had slammed shut, she gazed after it, half expecting it to run away too. Slowly, she brought her fingers to her lips and touched them with her fingertips very gently, like she was handling some rare, easily perishable silk. She closed her eyes, feeling herself tremble with the amazement. Robin just kissed her. What was she to do?  
  
Robin burst into the hallway and ran into the lounge, his anger consuming him and taking over his entire body. He saw Beast Boy and Raven still in their positions prier to him leaving, other than the fact Beast Boy was curled up behind a pillow hiding from the monsters on the screen. "CY- BORG!" Robin screamed, and both the tone and noise caused Beast Boy to shriek and dive under the cushions. Raven looked at him oddly and pointed down the hallway. "Weight room." she said simply, and in a flash the Boy Wonder had vanished down the corridor to seek and kill.  
  
Cyborg was bench pressing around 550 lbs with ease, and nonchalantly added another few hundred to his weights. He saw a fuming Robin explode into the room from the corner of his eye, and sat up on the bench, lifting a 50 lbs weight designed to increase the muscle in his forearm. "YOU!" Robin said threateningly, and charged at the metal man with clenched fists. Cyborg snatched the hem of Robin's cape and pulled him off the ground. He groaned, hovering a few feet in the air with 2 swinging fists. "Whoa! Chill man! What did I do now?" Cyborg asked, holding the boy slightly further away from him, as the missed blows were growing closer to his face. Robin moaned and his shoulders sunk, and he dropped his face in his palms. Noticing this quick mood swing, Cyborg set him down on his feet and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yo, you ok, man?" he asked, concerned. "I am the biggest idiot alive." was the muffled response. Cyborg laughed and resumed his spot on the bench with the 50 lb weight. "Yeah, well, I already KNEW that, whadcha do now?" he said with a chuckle. Robin looked up at him with slim eyes, and though he could not see them, he knew his eyes were filled with fire. "I LISTENED to YOU." he said through gritted teeth. Cyborg raised an eyebrow and questioned him. "What are you talking about?" he asked as he completed another 30 reps and switched hands.  
  
Robin rolled his eyes and brought his elbows to his waist, letting his forearms flap out, so now he too took the appearance of a retarded duck. "You have something special, Robin! You have the real thing, Robin! Make a move! Use it or lose it Robin!" he said in a high pitched voice. Cyborg looked slightly excited. "Hey! That's like what I did to you a few weeks ago!" he cried, both offended and proud that he was worth imitating. Robin dropped his arms to his sides and hung his head. "Yes, Cyborg. It's called a cruel irony, like my dependence on YOU." he muttered, obviously irritated. Cyborg groaned, continuing to lift the weights. "Will you please stop beating around the bush and tell me what you're so pissed about?" he asked, wiping a few beads of sweat away from his forehead with his available hand. "I KISSED HER!!!!!" Robin screamed, flailing his arms madly in the air. The weight Cyborg clutched in his hand dropped and crashed directly on his foot. He hollered in pain, and jumped up to hold his injury, hopping up and down in the process. "What-do-you-mean-kiss?" he asked in between hops.  
  
Robin let his weight fall to his feet and toppled backwards, landing on his back on the cold, metal floor. He immediately popped up and forebodingly pointed his index finger in Cyborg's direction. "YOU were the one who told me to make a move! So I did! I kissed her! On the lips! Now she HATES me and IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" he screamed, his anger towering over the metal man. In his mind's eye, he saw himself strangling Cyborg and throwing him out the window, but naturally that did not happen. Cyborg stared at his friend in complete and utter shock. "You-you really...oh god...I had no clue you'd....daaaaaaaaaaaamn...." he said finally. Robin hung his head and buried his face in his hands. "Man, I just have one thing to say to you-" Robin cut him off. "What? That everything's gonna work out fine and we'll fall in love and live happily ever after?" he remarked sarcastically as he lifted his head. Cyborg shook his. "Nope. I was gonna say you're screwed." "CY-BOR-G!!!!" Robin shouted. He turned on his heal and sprinted for his room, where he could settle in his humiliation in peace.  
  
Starfire had not moved from her position on her bed, she remained immobile as she stewed in place. She wasn't exactly sure how to react; happiness that it happened? Shock that he did it so quickly? Anger that she didn't get to do it first. Her eyes slowly creaked open, and her hand dropped carelessly to her sheets. Was it all a dream? Did something trigger her fantasy into a subconscious image? Starfire glanced around the room, mentally noting the discarded candy wrappers, certain objects awry, and the small groove that was indented in the comforter opposite from her. "No." she thought, the tingling sensation refusing to die down from her lips. "No, it happened. It really happened." She finally uncrossed her legs and settled them into her carpet, and they wobbled uneasily under her weight. When she gained composure, she bolted from her room in search of the only one who could assist her with her conflicting emotions. She entered the main room panting slightly and desperately scanned the room for the ever- emotionless girl she had recently managed to get through to. She only saw a small green boy mindlessly flipping through the channels, buried beneath a castle of cushions.  
  
"Beast, Boy, where is Raven?" Starfire questioned anxiously. Beast Boy kicked his makeshift tower down but continued to repeatedly click the remote. "She's not here. She went to some poetry reading at Le Café Café with that Goth kid she met at the club a while back. You know, Carden?" Starfire tilted her head curiously; was that the faintest hint of scorn in Beast Boy's voice? She shook it off, and once she had her worry set in again. She sighed in apprehensiveness. "This is not good. I am in need of the Earth custom of 'girl talk' very badly at this moment!" she cried, nervously biting the nail on her index finger. Beast Boy switched off the TV and laughed, rising and beginning to walk to the kitchen. "HA! Girl talk with Raven? You've got a better chance of having girl talk with ME!" he chuckled to himself, but stopped short when his path was blocked by Starfire, a wide, silly grin plastered to her face. Beast Boy immediately knew what that meant. "Star...." he moaned, but she grabbed his hands and stared at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Beast Boy! I am desperate!" she clamored. The shape shifter sighed in defeat and reluctantly slumped into the adjacent chair. Starfire smiled and sat poised across from him. "So....how have you been?" she asked, not entirely certain of how to begin. Beast Boy perked up a little and began to speak as though someone had never uttered a word to him. "Pretty good, actually. Recently I've just been playing video games, I'm getting pretty good, I can beat the first level without dying after 3 seconds! Oh yeah, and I found a new recipe for yak's milk yogurt! It sounds gross, but once you pick out all the hairs-"  
  
"Robin KISSED me!!!!!!" Starfire could hold it in no longer, and her emotional burst caused Beast Boy to shout. He tipped over in his chair, but quickly shot up to gape at his blushing alien friend. "He WHAT?!?!" he screamed. Starfire cupped her palms over her burning cheeks and whimpered in reply. Beast Boy walked over to her, still stunned, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Want me to kill him?" Starfire looked at him in horror and pushed him away. "NO! That is the last thing I wish for you to do! If you touch him..." Her eyes began to glow their spine-chilling shade of green as she floated in the air, gripping 2 Starbolts threateningly in her clenched fists. Beast Boy staggered back, holding his hands up in innocence. "HEY! It was a joke! I was KIDDING!" he defended, and sighed with relief when she, embarrassed, resumed her seat in her chair. "Oh." she muttered, glancing down. The green boy walked back over to her, cautiously this time, and pulled up the footstool so he would be sitting around eye level with her. "So, how do you feel about it?" he asked her warily. She shifted in her seat and continued to gaze down. "I am not sure, that is what I would like to discuss...." she murmured. Beast Boy thought for a second, before pelting her rapidly with possibilities.  
  
"Are you mad at him?"  
  
"No, I know for certain I am not mad..."  
  
"So you're happy?"  
  
"I do not know if it is happiness, it seems...different..."  
  
"So, sad? What about sad?"  
  
"It is most certainly not sad, this is true...."  
  
"So, seriously, what ARE you?!"  
  
Starfire pondered for a second, before answering. "It feels like....like I have just dove into a pool of ice water, but I am not cold. Like I have wandered into a dense, deep forest, but I am not afraid. Like I am trapped in a desert with nothing, but I do not tire. It is like...like there is a cyclone in my heart and it is spiraling out of control. But I do not want it to stop. Is this normal?" she questioned him with a cocked head, her eyes puzzled. Beast Boy smiled and nodded. "Yep. There's only one word to describe what you're feeling right now." She eagerly leaned in to hear his answer. "What is it?" she asked, excited to hear the reply.  
  
"Love."  
  
Starfire gasped and leaned back into her seat, a hand covering her mouth. "Love?" she squeaked, unbelieving. Beast Boy smiled and nodded. Starfire felt dizzy and held her head so she would not fall to the ground. Love? Could it be possible? This whole time, was the innocent little infatuation of hers in actuality the purest emotion one could ever feel? She had said nothing for at least 3 minutes, and Beast Boy inched in a little in worry. "Star? Y'ok?" he asked, concerned. "Are you certain that is it?" she whispered as if he just told her she was terminally ill. "Ok, lemme guess; you wanna be around him constantly, you blush or giggle, or possible both, at the sound of his name, you would go to the ends of the Earth to protect him from any harm and would do anything to hold him in your arms, even if it was just for one simple night?" he asked impassively. Starfire blinked once...twice. "YES! That is it exactly!" she exclaimed. Beast Boy nodded. "Toldja. Love is a strange and confusing emotion...I know it well...." he added with a sigh, but quickly recollected himself and glanced back at the girl. She inhaled and felt an uncontrollable force tug at the corners of her lips. It wasn't long before she was beaming brightly. "I...am in love. I love him. I love Robin. I-LOVE-ROBIN!" The words gave her an overwhelming sense of glee, like she was releasing her own personal Pandora's Box of hidden insecurities.  
  
She started panting, holding her hand over her heart. "I-I never expected it to...to come this far." she confessed, and the joker smiled. "Yeah, it'll do that to ya. Sneak up on you when you're back is turned." he said with a grin. She rose, but felt woozy and her legs nearly crumbled beneath her. She floated up into the air, breathing in deeply, the smile never fleeing her face. "I-I have never felt this way before. It is so-so incredible. I must tell Robin!" she squealed, but released a breath and shook her head. "But not now. I must sort my thoughts. Thank you immensely, Beast Boy! I can never thank you enough! I love Robin! I love him!" she exclaimed joyfully over and over and she hovered out of the room and zipped outside into the endlessly blue sky. Beast Boy called after her, even though he partly knew she wouldn't hear him. "What's there to sort? All you've got is the repetitive 'I LOVE ROBIN!! I LOVE ROBIN!! I LOVE ROBIN!! I LOVE ROBIN!! I LOVE-" He continued to mock her in a high falsetto voice, repeating that phase over and over with his hands locked over his heart. He began to twirl as he sang. "I LOVE ROBIN!! I LOVE ROBIN!! I LO-" He ceased when he saw a slender, shapely figure looming in the doorway. He could barely see her, she was shrouded in darkness, but he did manage to catch her glimmering amethyst eyes and a faint smirk toying with her mouth. "Is there something you'd like to share with us, Beast Boy?" Raven asked tauntingly. Beast Boy raised a finger to object and opened his mouth to say something, but instead of producing words, he abruptly hustled away into his room. Raven scoffed and shook her head, pondering why God created boys in the first place.  
  
~*~OMIGOD! I DID IT!!!! WHOOOOO!!!! Now you CAN'T kill me! Muh ha ha!!!! Didja like it? Hope you did! Few notes- [1] A rolo is a small, caramel candy covered in chocolate. Currently me and my best friend are addicted to them. Sad, yes I know. We attend a weekly seminar at REA, Rolo Eaters Anonymous. I've been clean for 3 seconds! *grabs a rolo and devoirs it* Well, so goes that. [2] I apologize for the lack of BB/R in the chapter, I doubt there will be any more. Sorry. [3] The Goth kid reference is from the episode "Sisters." Remember the kid Raven met at the party? ("This party is pointless." "Everything is pointless...wanna go talk about it?") I thought I'd stick him in to add some flava. I have no clue what his actual name is, or if he even actually HAS one, but I know the name 'Carden' means 'from the black fortress,' so I thought "Oooooh...cooooool.." hehe, I thought it would be good to add him to the mix, he'll bring extra spice in the BB/R sequel! Well, that's it! Please R&R and I'll update as soon as I can! I really, really, really hope you liked it!! Bye! ~*~ 


	10. She loves me

~*~ YAY! REVIEWS! Thank you all so much!! I'm so happy!!! *runs around in a circle screaming* Sorry, I'm hyper right now, it's NEVER a good idea to let me have sugar! SOOOO sorry it took so long to update, I've been incredibly busy lately, wanna hear about my day? Of course not, but I'm gonna rant anyway-I didn't get home from school until 7:30 because I had a volleyball game that ran late, then I stayed up until midnight writing a research paper I was only given 2 days to write. The next day, I had 5 consecutive quizzes in 5 consecutive classes, then AFTER volleyball practice I rushed to my best friend's birthday party where I stayed until 11:30. Whew! Being a sophomore is a LOT harder than I thought it would be! I'm beat! GAH!! Ok, I'm done ^-^ back to business..here's the latest chapter! After this, one more to go!!! Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn. Ok, now on we go! ~*~  
  
Robin had been pacing the floor for hours, pointlessly walking back and forth until a large, dragging dark mark lay in his rug. He kept his eyes tightly squeezed shut as he paced, nervously contemplating his actions. "Man, I really screwed myself! What do I do now?!" he angrily asked himself as he kicked a rubber ball forcefully. Forgetting of his metal tips, it ricocheted furiously off the walls and streaked through the window, shattering the glass and soaring off into oblivion. He sighed, glancing at the glimmering crystals scattered all about his floor, and flopped down onto his bed. He lay back, his hands locked behind his head for support and leaned into the corner. The corner where he and Starfire fell asleep together, wrapped deeply within each others arms.. "GAH! No! I can't think of her!!! Must avert attention somewhere else.." he hastily thought, rising and crossing to his demolished window. Many stories below, hundreds of tiny white flowers dotted the landscape, wafting gently in the meek breeze. They were daisies, like the one he gave Starfire that day at the park..."NO! NOT AGAIN!!! Think of other things....pudding, gameboy, the square root of 144, how pretty she looks when she smiles...NO!! BAD MIND! BAH!!" Robin hopelessly sunk into an easychair and groaned, knowing that fighting his brain was useless and would only leave him frustrated and possibly mentally disturbed. He massaged his temples with his fingers, commanding himself to think, when it struck him. It was a terrible idea, no doubt, but at the moment it was the only one he had, and so he instantly grabbed a notebook and pen that had been idly resting on his floor, cracked it open, and began to scribble furiously.  
  
"For the LAST time, Raven, I am NOT in love with ROBIN!" Beast Boy shouted in the kitchen at the mystifying cloaked girl. She shook her head at him, hiding a smile. "Oh, I believe you, Beast Boy, I mean, who doesn't run around in circles screaming 'I love Robin?' I know I do." said Raven with a sarcastic glance. Beast Boy beat his fist in the kitchen table. "RAVEN! I'M STRAIGHT! S-T-R-A..." he stopped, realizing in embarrassment he didn't know how to spell the rest of the word. He nervously searched for the letters in his mind, but under the evil, frightening smirk of Raven, it was impossible to think. "I'M NOT GAY!!" he defiantly concluded, and stormed into the living room, where Cyborg howled with laughter at his predicament. Raven entered soon after, smirking uncontrollably, and sat down to watch the green boy scream at the robot in objection. She shook her head, the joker can never take a joke at his own expense, but that was Beast Boy for you. But, though he hadn't stopped yelling, Raven enjoyed him in this state. He was cute when he got agitated...Raven gasped and felt her eyes widen at her thought. "I said the word CUTE?! Where did I put that bat...?"  
  
"I'VE GOT IT!" Robin declared triumphantly, appearing out of nowhere with a marble notebook clutched in his hand. Three sets of eyes laid on him, just his intention. "I've figured out a way to save my friendship with Starfire!" he cried, dancing a little in place. "And how is that?" Cyborg asked, both curious and skeptical. "Ok, all I have to do is avoid all contact with her for the rest of our lives! No awkward moments, no deadly silences, no nothing! It's the perfect plan!" he called victoriously, valor etched in his voice. Everyone's glance sagged at the pitiful plot, and upon noticing this, so did Robin's. "Alright, so it sucks! It's the best I've got so far!" he irately moaned, tossing the booklet into Beast Boy's awaiting hands. He opened it and read.  
  
" 1. Avoid Starfire for all time. 2. Bash self over head until all memory is erased. 3. Jump out the window. 4. Become gay and join the Fab Five to make money on 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.' 5. Change identity, run away to Iceland, and spend the rest of your days as a sheep herder deep within the glaciers. -Wait, why would sheep be in the glaciers?- 6. Hide in a corner and rock back on forth sweating until people forget about you. 7. Run....and don't stop until you hit Mexico."  
  
He concluded and slammed the book shut, a thick, bushy eyebrow raised. "And you're supposed to be the mighty, clever, plan-making leader?" he asked, dropping the book on the coffee table. Robin sighed and slumped into a seat, face buried in his hands. "Guys, I'm a wreck. I can't think straight! I feel awful, what if I ruined our friendship forever? I mean, I value her more than anything, and if I lost her...." He trailed off, closing his eyes in self-loathing. "Personally, I think you're best bet is number 4...those guys sure know a helluva lot about style!" Beast Boy joked, but when Robin glared at him, he shrunk into his seat, saddened his joke was wasted. Robin rose, snatched the notebook from off the table and hooked it under his arm. "I'm gonna get a head start on number 6 for now, just slip the food under my door every so often, maybe I'll see ya in a month or so." he mumbled, despondently turning to exit. Cyborg groaned. "Okay, don't you think you're overreacting just a LITTLE bit?" he asked with a moan. Robin whirled back to him, his eyes constricted into tiny black slits. "No." he said simply, and he disappeared down the hall. He kept his head down, watching in fascination at his feet neatly placing themselves one in front of the other. This was just the reason he did not notice another person walking in an identical stance, that was, of course, until he collided into them.  
  
Robin hit the person with an "OOF!" and stumbled backwards, landing square on his behind. The notebook flew from his palm and slid gracefully down the marble floor, far out of reach. He rubbed his head from the pain of impact and then abruptly rose to aid whoever he mistakenly knocked over. "I'm sorry! I didn't watch where I was..." Robin stopped mid-sentence when his mind registered something- there were 5 members of the Teen Titans, 3 of which were in the living room, 2 here. He froze as the person, who he could now identify as a girl, brushed a tuft of red hair out of her jade eyes and looked to him with a tiny smile creeping up on her face. He was immobilized, every ligament on his body stiffened and he could not make a single move.  
  
*Say something clever.*  
  
Robin could not obey his mind's command, and instead he remained mouth hung open like a baby awaiting food, an expression of horror melded with shock etched into his face. He stayed that was for what seemed like centuries.  
  
*Ok, it doesn't have to be clever, it just has to be WORDS.*  
  
Silence, it was deafening.  
  
*ANY words. There are literally THOUSANDS of words in the human language, pick a few, arrange them in a sentence, and SPEAK!*  
  
"H-H-Hi Star! How's are you going?" He visibly grimaced under his own stupidity with pressure.  
  
*Yeah, you were better off saying nothing.*  
  
He glared at his own thoughts as he felt his cheeks growing hot, and he failed to notice Starfire suppress an amused giggle. He glanced down, fumbling with his 2 feet slightly, and made a mental note not to say ANYTHING from that point on. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't, for some unknown, unspeakable force had seized his tongue and taken it captive. Starfire smiled, unbeknownst to him. "I am glad to have found you Robin. I have been meaning to speak with you about an important matter." she said, trying her best to sound serious. Robin's eyes shot upward so rapidly he was shocked they didn't fly out of his head and into the ceiling. NOW was his chance to talk. He would calmly and eloquently explain to her that somehow the signals between them got crossed, and while he would enjoy to have her to be more than a friend, he understood perfectly if she wished to remain close, good friends. That's what he said in his head. This is what actually came out;  
  
"Starfire I'm so sorry that I kissed you! I didn't even know what I was doing! I wasn't thinking! Well, I was thinking, but in the wrong way! But maybe it was the right way, in my head, but not in yours, you wouldn't think that, but you could? Maybe? Oh, now I'm putting words in your mouth! I'm just doing DANDY today aren't I?!" He continued to rapidly babble as, still beaming, Starfire took a large step in his direction. "I think you're really amazing and cool and funny and pretty and smart and I don't wanna ruin the friendship we have because it really means a lot to me, YOU really mean a lot to me..oh great. I shouldn't have said that. Now you probably think of me as a bigger moron then I already am! I have no idea what I'm saying, am I making sense? Cuz I have no recollection of what I just said. I could have said 'I'm going to kill you while you're sleeping' and I wouldn't remember. What the hell am I saying?! This is an apology and I've turned it into one of the most insane ramblings of all time! I just-"  
  
He stopped immediately as Starfire cupped her hand over his chin and pulled him into her for a perfect, innocent kiss. Her soft, supple lips enveloped his in a way only a Disney movie could portray. He stiffened completely in utter shock, his body was like a board. Starfire held the kiss for a few seconds before reluctantly pulling away, shyly smiling from the corner of her mouth. Robin stood wide-eyed, his body hardened and immobile, his lips still pursed in confusion. Starfire's cheeks morphed to a lovely shade of vermillion as she giggled and gazed down with half-litted eyes. "That is all I wanted to say." she whispered, then, still tittering like a little girl, scampered off into her room. Robin remained stationary in pure shock, his arms locked at his sides. He stayed completely still for what seemed like hours, before toppling over backwards and landing flat on his back, hard, with a vociferous FWANG against the metal floor that echoed all throughout the tower.  
  
Robin felt like he was floating, on some kind of cloud, lying there in the middle of the corridor. He closed his eyes as he felt some sort of indescribable warmth filling his bones, slowly and surely, lifting him upward and casting him into an endless oblivion where he could remain forever with Starfire, the only true companion he ever needed. He stayed in his alternate reality of bliss for centuries, a smile ever present across his face. A sweet symphony similar to one composed by Mozart rang through his ears, striking each chord perfectly. Nothing could have possibly ruined how wonderful he felt.  
  
"Izzee dead?" a faint voice sounded in the distance. Robin could feel himself grudgingly being pulled away from his dream as the voices grew stronger.  
  
"Of course he's not dead. If you feel so self-conscious about it, then check his pulse."  
  
"Oh, no. That's not the way to play. There's only one sure-fire way to tell whether or not someone is dead."  
  
"Oh really? And how is that?"  
  
"Poke him! Got a stick?"  
  
His spirit settled back into his body and he remembered his surroundings; he felt the cold, metal ground beneath him, the candid fluorescent lights blocked as 2 forms cast shadows over his face. He let his eyes remain shut, and absorbed the last essence of his moment, and sighed, but leapt up in pain when he felt a sharp jolt stab him in the side. Robin's eyes popped open and he rubbed his ache, now standing. The 2 figures had been identified as Raven and Beast Boy; Raven's was shaking her head as Beast Boy innocently held out a pointed finger in Robin's direction. For some reason, Robin didn't care, and as his happiness returned the pain seemed to melt away. He grinned stupidly at his friends, his mask only revealing half of his white cloth. "Hi guys....what're ya doing'" he asked, an odd tone to his voice. Raven, from beneath her blue cloak, raised an eyebrow. "We came to check on you....you've been lying in the hallway for more than 20 minutes." she replied. Robin laughed and swayed his head back and forth, dancing to a beat he only heard in his head. "Reeeeeally? It seems longer. I'm gonna go now..buh-bye." he beamed and skipped, by the power vested in the almighty Lord he SKIPPED, down the corridor and into the kitchen. Raven and Beast Boy exchanged glances. "What was that?" the boy said with a blink. "I have NO idea...I think your good-hearted poke may have jostled a nerve in his BRAIN." she paused, and looked over at his with her 2 amethyst eyes shining more than usual. "Hey, Beast Boy?" she said. He gazed up at her, almost hopefully, and shifted his weight. "Yeah?" She blinked a few times. "If I ever...die..." he leaned in, eager for the rest. "..don't touch me." she finished, and fluttered away to her room. Beast Boy snapped his fingers in frustration, kicking himself for getting his hopes too high.  
  
Robin twirled in place and slide into the kitchen on his metal shoes. He miscalculated the run, however, and instead of stopping short behind the counter 'Risky Business' style, he crashed head long into the wooden table, causing it as well as him to plummet to the immaculate linoleum floor. Cyborg, who had been preparing a sandwich on the opposite end of the room, turned to see his friend in a very uncomfortable looking position, and ran over to aid him. Robin's reaction, however, was quite the contrary to what Cyborg had expected. Instead of moaning in pain and stupidity, he laughed, loudly and obnoxiously, until he was almost broken down into hysterics. He jerked up and merrily brushed off his splinter-riddled clothes, tiny giggles sneaking out of his mouth. He looked up at the robotic man, whose organic eye was wide and confused. "Huh huh huh huh, hi Cyborg." He said with a grin, a voice unlike his own. It was sonorous and deep, like an old Warner Brother's character that had just come in contact with a pretty girl. "Dude..you ok?" he asked distrustfully, because at this point Robin doing and un-doing the classic 'V' signal that originated in 'Star Trek' with his hand. "Yup yup yup! Everything's hunky dory! Peachy keen! I'm sitting on top of the world! Look! I can see my house from here!! WHEEEEEEE!!" Robin had apparently found a spinning chair and was amusing himself by doing what they were designed for-spinning. Quite furiously, too. Cyborg stared at his friend in bewilderment.  
  
Robin commenced the rolling, and wheeled himself all about the floor in joy. Cyborg, now fearing for his friend's well-being, grabbed him by the collar and yanked him off the ride, holding him high in the air. Still, he remained unfazed, and continued laughing like Adam Sandler himself was standing right there in the room. "Dude..you're scaring me.." Cyborg said warily. Robin tilted his head back and forth on his shoulders. "Imagine me and you, and you and me, no matter how the toss the dice, it had to be, the only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy TOGETHER!" he happily sang the classic 60's song. He never got to finish it however, because Cyborg had delivered him a hard slap across the face. Robin seemed to awaken from his insane trance, and gingerly felt the red mark on his cheek. "Thank you, I needed that." he said finally in his normal voice, and sluggishly shifted out of his position and made his way to the door. Cyborg stopped him.  
  
"Yo! Dude! What was THAT?!" he questioned in perplexity. Robin turned back to him with a smile, and he seemed to emit a pure radiance in his own was and he simply glowed. "She loves me." he breathed, and retreated to his room as if walking on air. Cyborg glanced down, smirking and shaking his head. "Well, it's about TIME."  
  
~*~ YAY!! I did it! I hope you like it! The last chapter will be up ASAP, I hope! It's gonna have a song (yeah, they get annoying fast, but it fit so well and plus it has, in my opinion, the greatest quote of all time, so I HAD to stick it in!) It's by the Ataris...it's good ^_^ Please review!! Thank you! Oh, and Ryan? I BELIEVE I was offered some compensation....*gets pummeled by thousands of Rolos, pokes head out from gigantic pile and squeals* SWEET NECTOR OF THE GODS!!! Yeah, I'll be.....erm..busy with..things..BYE!!! *Dives back into piles.* 


	11. I won't spend another night alone

~*~ Well, here it is. The final chapter of Hopelessly Devoted. The moment you've all been waiting for. It is a bittersweet moment, sweet because this is the first story I've ever finished, and bitter because I DON'T WANT IT TO END!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! *Gets slapped across the face by Cyborg* Ow......man, you're really good at that. *Cyborg grins and walks away.* Hehe, sorry about that, I just had so much fun doing this story! Wait, what am I saying? The sequel will be up in, like, a week, and the 3rd one will be up right after that.....I'VE GOT STORIES GALORE! YAY FOR SERIES!!!! Hehe, so, I hope you like this, expect the BB/R fic in a week. Again, I apologize for how long it took for me to update, but, thanks to Hurricane Isabel and the paranoid people that run my school, I get a day off!!! Whoo!! Oh before I forget, HP Bookworm5, I read your bio.....YOU QUOTED ME! I'M SO HONORED! YAY!!!!!! Hehe, had to thank ya for that! Here we go!! ~*~  
  
Starfire sat on the shore alone, her arms curled around her long, shapely legs. She had removed her shoes and sat in the cool sand, the clear, pristine water gently lapping up at her feet. The sun had long since sank deep into the horizon, leaving a trail of incredible, glittering stars forlornly chasing after it. She giggled as a chilly wind elegantly combed her scarlet locks, and rubbed her arms' lack of warmth. She gazed in awe upward at the sky, sighing as her thoughts drifted away. She found herself focusing less on the scenery, and more on him. Her cheeks flushed pink and she smiled, watching in wonder at the stars radiating perfectly, but in no way were ever as beautiful of bright as Robin's eyes. Starfire sighed, absentmindedly tracing something in the sand with a discarded piece of driftwood. She cooed in delight, admiring her work, and shifted her emerald gaze up to the heavens.  
  
~A star up in the sky  
  
Goes slowly passing by,  
  
The lights below,  
  
They spell out your name~  
  
Robin aimlessly walked around the living room, beaming as he contemplated. The boys followed him with their eyes, growing more and more irritated as he paced about. His walk was almost hypnotizing, once you started watching you couldn't pull away, and this annoyed the boys to no end. "STOP!!!!!" they yelled at the same time. Robin promptly ceased and stared at the males confused, but would not let up his smile. "Sorry, guys." he apologized. "I'm just so excited! I've been planning what I'm going to say all day long and I need to tell her and AH I CAN'T WAIT!" he said, a bit too giddy for his taste, and he resumed strolling all about the room. With this, Beast Boy and Cyborg slapped their foreheads in frustration.  
  
Robin was rambling all about how wonderful it felt and had circled the couch 6 times. Raven looked up from behind her book and glanced at the floor. She was pretty sure a faint hole was beginning to form where Robin had been pacing. "I just wish I knew where she was! I need to tell her now!" he ranted to his unenthusiastically listening friends. Cyborg sighed and propped his elbows up on his knees and let his head fall into his open palms. "No shit, Sherlock." he muttered under his breath. Raven was getting aggravated by the Boy Wonder as well, it was getting increasing harder to concentrate on her reading with his moronic accolade of Starfire, he just went on and on and on and on..........a dish exploded in the kitchen. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves and subduing her emotions, and slowly used her power to guide Robin's feet unknowingly to the window. He hadn't even realized it, until he collided with the glass and smashed his head into it, tumbling backwards in pain.  
  
"Aow-wo! I have lost more brain cells this week it's a wonder I can still speak!" Robin fumed, rubbing his head. "More like a pity." Raven mumbled behind the hardback. Beast Boy snickered and glanced over at her with a smile. Robin blatantly ignored them and peered out the screen before him and into the everlasting night sky, and saw a small, silhouetted figure resting on the shore. He beamed and immediately rushed out the door, tripping and landing flat on his face before he reached the door, but he leapt up and exited with a look that could only be described as love- struck.  
  
~You're comfort on my mind,  
  
And you're with me all the time  
  
And lots of feelings I  
  
Can't explain~  
  
He got outside unharmed, slowly approaching the growing figure, smiling. He reached the tip of the beach and pulled off his shoes to feel the tiny crystals sift through his toes as he walked. Starfire's shadow grew larger as he moved in. Even with her back to him, he knew she was smiling, and in the soft moonlight she seemed to shimmer in radiance. Robin reached her and was suddenly struck with an arrow of apprehensiveness. He felt his throat tighten and his palms sweat. "What if I do this wrong?" he subconsciously thought, and contemplated turning on his heal and venturing off in the other direction. His heart raced, and he took a deep breath and cleared his throat. Starfire perked up, startled by the sound, and turned to be greeted by a spandex-clad pair of legs. She felt a chill run down her spine, and she looked up to confirm her suspicions. He was there. She smiled brightly at him and rose to her feet, brushing the sand particles that had gathered along her body. Her smile, it made him melt right there on the spot, and all trepidation he felt not 2 seconds before seemed to just wither away. "Hey." she whispered. "Hey." he replied in the same hushed tone. For many moments they said nothing more, because at the time it wasn't even necessary.  
  
~I won't spend another night alone.  
  
I won't spend another night alone~  
  
Robin took a step towards the brilliant eyed girl with a beaming face. "Star, I've been meaning to talk to you." he said finally. She tilted her head. "Oh, really? What about?" she responded with a grin, knowing exactly what he meant. He sighed and innocently bit his lower lip. "About, us." Starfire nodded, hiding her excitement extraordinarily well. "See, lately, things between us have been......different. In a good way.......a very good way." he added with a grin. She listened intently to the boy, but he said nothing else for some time. He didn't want to demolish how perfect that moment was, the salty sea air fluttering through her hair, the faint starlight reflecting off her shimmering eyes, her smile. That was all he ever needed, and he was happy. This girl had honestly no idea how much he meant to her.  
  
~Out of every girl I meet,  
  
No other can compete,  
  
I'd ditch them all for  
  
A night with you~  
  
Robin absentmindedly smiled, if possible, wider than he was a moment before. He took a step in towards the girl, gradually closing the slight gap between them. He took a second more to admire how lovely she looked in the pale moonlight before opening his mouth to speak again. "Well, this is the thing Star, I really, really really like spending time with you. You're smart, you're funny, you always know exactly what to say, and you're.........beautiful." he said the last word as if his voice caressed it like fine cloth. He inhaled deeply and took another step in, and ever so slowly, reached out his hand and gently fingered her long, elegant locks. Starfire watched his skilled fingers move gracefully and with ease, and leaned in towards him to make his task less strenuous. "Star." He spoke so softly the sound of the shifting sands could be heard over him. He finally spoke again. "You-you are a huge part of my life and.........I have no idea what I'd do without you."  
  
~I know you don't believe  
  
You mean this much to me,  
  
But I promise you  
  
That you do~  
  
Starfire smiled and cupped a hand over Robin's palm, still saying nothing. Robin grinned and tried to continue, but his mouth moved wordlessly and nothing came out. The misty sea air began to slowly envelop them, as if wrapping them in their own personal blanket. Amidst the misty oblivion, Robin could distinctly see the 2 fiery jade gems that were Starfire's eyes. So bright, so optimistic, he could gaze into them forever. She glanced down, and almost immediately upon breaking eye contact the fog lifted away. Robin could care less. She was with him, and that was all that mattered.  
  
~I won't spend another night alone.  
  
I won't spend another night alone~  
  
Starfire moved in closer to the Boy Wonder, delicately holding his hand that had caught itself in her hair. She realized she had not said a word since he began, she didn't want to. She would let him speak, tell her expressively and fluently his feelings and wait for her to do the same. She may get confused easily, but she wasn't stupid. She smiled brightly at him, picturing the scene; Robin would stare at her expectantly, wait for a speech about how much she cared about him, secretly freak out thinking she didn't feel the same, and then she would laugh and calmly explain that she didn't need many long, elaborate words to express herself. In fact, she only needed 3.  
  
~If I had one wish this is what it would be,  
  
I'd ask you to spend all your time with me  
  
Then we'd be together forever~  
  
"I can't see a damn thing!" Cyborg whined, cupping his two hands on either sides of his eyes, blocking out any excess light the tower mockingly beamed down on him. Currently he was pressed against a window, trying desperately to get a good view of the two teens on the beach from his far-off Tower view. Unfortunately, with the fog lifting and sinking what seemed like every 3 seconds, such a feat was not so simple to accomplish. Beast Boy, carrying a giant bowl of popcorn, entered the room with a large smirk, pulled up a reclining chair next to Cyborg's complaining position, and stuffed a handful of the junk food into his mouth. "Whaddid I miss?" he asked his friends, various pieces of white and yellow food particles spraying off in every direction. "So far, nothing. They're just........STANDING! And nothing else! Man, they better get some action, and soon! I gotta pee!" he whimpered and clamped together his knees, nervously bouncing up and down. He glanced over at the green boy, anxiously shifting his weight from one foot to the other and holding his hands over......the area that relieved such anxiety. "Ooh, popcorn." Cyborg said, quickly forgetting of his plight, and stopped his dance to grab a fistful of the salty snack, which he promptly shoved down his throat.  
  
Raven groaned and slammed her book shut. She was not going to deny it, this was ANNOYING. "Don't you have anything better to do?" she muttered. "Nope! Not a thing!" Beast Boy cheerily replied, and popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth. She rolled her lavender eyes and kicked her feet up on the coffee table. "Could you at least give them a LITTLE privacy?" she requested, getting more and more irritated by the second. "Ooh baby, bring on the action! Let's go! I'm hoping for cheap porn!!......uh......not that I ever WATCH that stuff.......a-hem.........WILL YOU DO SOMETHING ALREADY?!" Cyborg shouted, pounding the window with his immense fist. Raven was fed up, and with gritted teeth she raised a hand and both the boys went flying backwards, their flight forcefully broken by the opposite wall. Beast Boy left a body-printed large dent in it and slumped to the floor, moaning, while Cyborg's head managed to lodge itself in the plaster. He screamed, but it was muffled by the pipes coiled around his face. Raven smiled, satisfied, and cracked open her book once again. But, before she lost herself in spells and incantations, she briefly glanced out the window at the 2 shadows along the shore. She breathed a laugh and began to read.  
  
~We'd buy a small house in South Central L.A.  
  
Raise lots of kids then we'd both join a gang  
  
Just as long as we're together~  
  
Back on the shore, Robin was innocently tugging on Starfire's strands, until he reached the end and his arm flopped to his side. He cursed inwardly, kicking himself for letting go when he wanted to hold her so badly. He sighed, and decided to go on with his speech. "Star, basically, all I'm trying to say is.........I care about you. A lot. You mean everything to me, and in all honesty, I'd be completely lost if you weren't around." His voice was like a whisper, so soft and faint it was amazing Starfire could hear it. She inhaled curtly, only to release it in a laugh. She smiled, the light reflecting off her lips and teeth. Robin waited for another reaction for 10 long, agonizing minutes, actually it was 10 long, agonizing seconds, but who was counting, anyway? His smile faltered when she did nothing, and a slight sweat broke out on his forehead. "Um.........so...........you wanna say anything?" he asked bluntly, and slapped himself on his sweating brow on how incredibly conceited that sounded. Starfire giggled and took one final step in, tenderly wrapping her arms around Robin's crafted waist. He was startled by her forwardness, but all the same beamed with delight. "Robin, to tell you of my feelings, I only need to say one thing." She leaned in, pressing her forehead against his, staring longingly into his hidden eyes.  
  
"I.Love.You."  
  
~The things you make me wanna do,  
  
I'd rob a Quick-e-Mart for you.  
  
I'd go to the pound and let all the cats go free,  
  
As long as you'd be with me~  
  
Robin was stunned..........did she just say what he think she did? Love? It was a dark and confusing emotion, but the fruits of its ways could be very promising. His breath caught in his throat as he contemplated the word, still shocked, and stared intently into her dancing emerald eyes. He finally found the words to speak, but only after a long pause. "You-you love me?" he murmured in disbelief. Starfire giggled in response, which he took as a yes. His pulse raced, the world was spinning, everything blurred before his eyes as his one true desire was confirmed. He wished beyond wish it was true, and last night he had believed it, but now, hearing those words from her, words could not describe how overjoyed he was. His arms immediately slipped around her slender waist, holding her so softly that she never wanted him to let go. "I love you." he whispered into her ear. The words came so freely, he never felt anything so easy come from him in his life. She smiled, and tilted her chin upward to passionately kiss him on the lips. His hands moved from her waist to her face as he tangled his fingers in her ruby hair, never breaking. Kissing her, finally, REALLY kissing her, it was surreal, pure, utter ecstasy. They were walking on air, floating together, and suddenly everything was perfect, moving with an indescribable grace, and as long as they were together, it would stay that way.  
  
~I won't spend another night alone.  
  
I won't spend another night alone~  
  
Starfire slowly pulled away, shifting her arms up to Robin's strong shoulders, and playfully glanced to the side. Robin returned it and followed her gaze, seeing it lead to her 'artwork.' It was beautiful, pure and sweet and gentle. A tiny wave washed over her piece, and despite the sandy texture, it did not fade away. This is what it said; encased in a heart, etched into the damp sand in perfectly crafted letters read STARFIRE AND ROBIN, FOREVER., The second he saw it, it was all he could do but glide his lips serenely across hers again and again. She returned it, holding each one like it was her last. This was the way things would be. They remained there all night, wrapped in each other's arms, and despite the cool sea breeze were contently warm the entire time. It was not until the misty fingered dawn broke the charcoal sky and day-break awoke the city that they returned to the Tower, hand in hand, and even still, the sand design did not disappear.  
  
~*~ *sniff* Well, that's it. I'd like to end on an intelligent note by quoting someone wise beyond his years......."IT'S OVER!!" Hehe, oh Strong Bad, will you ever learn? I had SO much fun writing this story, I thank you all who supported it, you guys ROCK!! The BB/R fic will be up soon, I promise ^_^ Ok, well, until next time, this is Melody, signing off! Bye! ~*~ 


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